another lost recap! or how i learned to stop worrying and follow some good advice

Gentle Readers, the last time I recapped this show I had kinda hoped that every Thursday we would meet like this. So, I over-estimated a bit. However, here we are, together again, after a particularly... um, fascinating episode and we should take the opportunity to try again. So, let the craziness begin!!

Following in what seems to be the pattern of one episode-one character flashbacks, last night was Charlie's (Dominic Monaghan, otherwise known as Merry in LOtR) chance to shine. And who would have thunk, behind that junkie-rocker exterior lurked a sweet little Catholic boy ashamed of his over-sexed and over-drugged ways, who just wants a little attention and loving support. Awww. In the meantime, Jack dislocated his shoulder as the cave collapsed (SUCH an Amelia flashback it wasn't funny-- if it had been Kate in there with him instead of Charlie I would have wigged out with excitement); Michael proved that he can do useful things aside from eyeing Sun warily and yelling at his kid, which finally gave me a reason to like him; Sawyer continues to prove he's an ass; Boone and his lil' sis continue to irritate (let the monster KILL them already!!); Locke keeps up his oracle-priestly-Great-White-Hunter act that gets creepier and harder to believe with every passing moment (was he watching the Discovery channel every night with his 1-900-number "girlfriend" or something?)

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1. Kate and Jack, will they get together before the end of season one?
Who knows? Most television soaps generally go the route of maintaining sexual tension long past the average fan's appetite for it. Yet, JJ, in his infinite wisdom re: Alias, managed to get around that loophole by appeasing the couple-mad, allowing Miss & Mr. to hook up, and then completely mess up the relationship, as secrets come out, new jealousies appear, etc. And if you ask me, television writers really need to understand that the flirting and the tiffs that come with the tension prior to hook-up don't vanish into oblivion the day after: it actually becomes more interesting.

2. Why didn't they realize sooner, like after they made the tunnel perhaps, that only Charlie could go through?
Dudes, it was a Hobbit-sized hole. Charlie is TINY. Michael is tall, Kate wasn't there yet, the Koreans certainly aren't helping out unless absolutely necessary, they weren't going to force the kid to do it and music man is just fat. And yet, Charlie had to make the speech, "I'm all alone, I'll risk death because no one needs me!" to convince them to let him through. This is where a little TWoP advice comes in handy: just drink more alcohol and every little thing, no matter how trippy or unlogical, will seem right as rain.

3. Moths are prettier than butterflies?
The entire moth sub-plot irritated me. Way too heavy-handed. And as I mentioned before, Locke the Spiritualist Hunter gets more and more hard to swallow. In his favor, it's really nice to see his interaction with Charlie. It's a win-win relationship because I think Charlie actually has gotten a bit of guidance from him (the speeches are full of wind, but Locke did instigate the intervention) and Locke seems to need someone who respects him.

4. What is the deal with Sawyer?
He lied about coming out after Sayid and Kate, only to belatedly inform Eve that her Adam was trapped under some big frickin' rocks. But he obviously set off the damn flare when he was supposed to, and turned on the receiver otherwise Sayid wouldn't have gotten all those bars on the transceiver, right? What slightly rankles with me is that they're none-too-subtly turning him into an evil brood-dude ala Buffy's Spike. Now, as a HUGE Spike fan, I can't terribly complain-- I love those kind of characters. But, Spike = hot and Sawyer = not. (I know, I know, totally superficial of me, but it's true. OK, maybe it's not-- not for all of us, anyway-- but the drawl is DEFINITELY off-putting. And Kate will still end up with Jack, even if she's still hell-bent on punishing herself for past sins, because there's better chemistry there anyway.)

5. Who side-swiped Sayid?
I think most were thinking Sawyer, but I say it's the French lady on the transmission. Just a guess, and here's another: next week, it'll be Sayid's turn for a flashback. Can't wait...