the snowman question he worked with kids he is the kind that would have done research--knowing jokes being cool
at least he would have had a carrot to hold out to Desmond. He offered nothing not even an educated guess

Considering what a know-it-all he is generally, you have a good point there.

He may of thought it was a trick question. In all honesty that would have been my first thought in that situation.

the snowman question he worked with kids he is the kind that would have done research--knowing jokes being cool
at least he would have had a carrot to hold out to Desmond. He offered nothing not even an educated guess
I don't think an educated guess would have done any more good than telling the truth. When Desmond asked him if he was "him," Locke said yes because he truly thought, at that moment, that Desmond had been waiting for him. But then, when he was asked the riddle, he realized that it wasn't him that Desmond was talking about and, I think, at that point he understood that he was with someone not to fool with so he told the truth. I think, too, that by his telling the truth, it allowed Desmond to trust him a tiny bit, and agree with him about tieing Kate up instead of the other way around. Desmond believed him (even if he didn't realize it) because Locke had been honest with him about not being the person he was waiting for. I think Locke played it perfectly.

It occurs to me that maybe "I don't know what you're talking about" might have been the right answer. Especially since "do you smell carrots" is evidently pretty well known.

Perhaps he had as much trouble understanding what Desmond said as I did ;)

Perhaps he had as much trouble understanding what Desmond said as I did ;)

Amen to that. The guy needs subtitles. Or to speak more clearly.

I didn't know it. But, then again, my wife loves to laugh at me for not knowing about "Marco" "Polo" in the pool.

I didn't know it. But, then again, my wife loves to laugh at me for not knowing about "Marco" "Polo" in the pool.

ROTFLMAO!

I wasn't expecting that one.

Was this the first time anyone on the island found out what Locke did before he was a lostaway?

I didn't understand him either and had to watch with the CC on.

Anyway, I think Locke did think he was who Desmond was waiting for at first, maybe he thought, "hey he saw me at the hatch when I was pounding on it and the light came on". But I think after Desmond asked him the riddle he realized that he wasn't who Desmond was expecting or asking for so he just played dumb. Who knows what would of happened if Locke had said the answer to the riddle - he'd probably end up as Desmond's replacement typing away 4815162342 into a computer for the rest of his life.

Was this the first time anyone on the island found out what Locke did before he was a lostaway?

No. It was mentioned to Boone and there were flashbacks in season one.
Oh, and Hurley owns stock in a box company.

No. It was mentioned to Boone and there were flashbacks in season one.
Oh, and Hurley owns stock in a box company.

Right, I know that he did work there, but did anyone on the island know? Boone died and I'm sure Hurley had no idea that Locke worked there or else he would have been like "Hey dude, don't you work in my box factory and aren't you crippled?"

I think he was a little out of character this episode. But I'm laying that at the writers' feet and not ascribing any special meaning to his oddness.

Perhaps he had as much trouble understanding what Desmond said as I did ;)
I don't have any trouble understanding anything he says. His accent is beautiful and very easy to understand. Sorry some couldn't understand him.

It occurs to me that maybe "I don't know what you're talking about" might have been the right answer. Especially since "do you smell carrots" is evidently pretty well known.
True. What's often done is the question has a commonly know reply but the right reply is different. The correct answer could have been anything and might not have even had anything to do with the question.

I think he was a little out of character this episode. But I'm laying that at the writers' feet and not ascribing any special meaning to his oddness.
I don't see what was odd about Locke's behavior considering he was being held at gun point. That might make any of us a bit less aggressive. LOL Locke was being pulled in two different directions in this eppy. He was dying to know all about Desmond and the hatch but knew he had to be cautious in asking questions. I think it was a reality check for him, though. I think he got a glimpse into what Jack has been telling him about "is this your destiny?" He got the box opened but didn't know what to do with the prize! ;)

Part of the question was based on Lockes interaction with people of late seems to have a step upon what they are worried about. The boars with Sawyer, the crib with Claire, even the nanny with Boone. . So here is a confrontation and nothing.

i don't know how anyone can say that with Locke yet. LOL so much of his character is undefined! At least to me. What is he? Is he some loser who works some dead end job and fantasizes about phone sex operators? Or is he this brave hunting warrior? And what happened in between.


Anytime I see something in his character i just assume it's a new dimension to his character we aren't supposed to know about!

Locke told Boone he worked in a box company in Season 1, but it didn't really sound like Boone believed him.

I dunno about you guys, but its just seemed to me that Locke has been acting differently ever since Boone's death. His character seems different. To me it feels like he's just lost his coolness. :undecide:

Locke told Boone he worked in a box company in Season 1, but it didn't really sound like Boone believed him.

I dunno about you guys, but its just seemed to me that Locke has been acting differently ever since Boone's death. His character seems different. To me it feels like he's just lost his coolness. :undecide:
Lost his coolness? How? He kept after the hatch, was totally cool playing the "Operation" game with Jack and the dynamite, challenged Jack about why he doesn't want to go down the hatch, was quick on his feet in thinking of a way to get Kate safe and managed to not have Desmond blow anyone's head off. Sounds like the same cool Locke to me! :biggrin:

Andy if he had lost cool Kate wouldn't have had the knife.

I think Locke was being Locke tonight and when Desmond asked him "are you him?" I think Locke knew right away, and having a gun pointed at his head helped, that he had to go along with this guy. So he said yes. I kept saying to the tv who, who. l sounded like an owl. He kept his cool the whole time and did some quick thinking getting Desmond to make him tie up Kate instead of him. Thats the thing with Locke he thinks fast, responds to the situation, and keeps his cool.

It occurs to me that maybe "I don't know what you're talking about" might have been the right answer. Especially since "do you smell carrots" is evidently pretty well known.
i'm sorry, but i just don't see that.

I didn't understand him either and had to watch with the CC on.

Anyway, I think Locke did think he was who Desmond was waiting for at first, maybe he thought, "hey he saw me at the hatch when I was pounding on it and the light came on". But I think after Desmond asked him the riddle he realized that he wasn't who Desmond was expecting or asking for so he just played dumb. Who knows what would of happened if Locke had said the answer to the riddle - he'd probably end up as Desmond's replacement typing away 4815162342 into a computer for the rest of his life.
i completely agree.

i'm sorry, but i just don't see that.
Here's a man that has a rifle pointed at his head and he's asked a riddle. Even if he thinks he knows the answer, he also knows that his answer might be wrong. Does he attempt to fool the agitated man with the rifle or try to build onto his trust by being honest? I'd go with being honest. Rifles can make a mess out of your face if they go off. ;)

Here's a man that has a rifle pointed at his head and he's asked a riddle. Even if he thinks he knows the answer, he also knows that his answer might be wrong. Does he attempt to fool the agitated man with the rifle or try to build onto his trust by being honest? I'd go with being honest. Rifles can make a mess out of your face if they go off. ;)
yes well that's what i'm saying. i don't think it was the "right" answer, i think it was the honest one.

yes well that's what i'm saying. i don't think it was the "right" answer, i think it was the honest one.
But what would have been the right answer? We can't assume that the answer Desmond wanted was the answer to a well known riddle. I think Locke knew that, too.

(Isn't it funny how we talk about them like they're real people? I love that!)

;)

I still think a good answer would have been, "Have an ice day!"

:lol:

But what would have been the right answer? We can't assume that the answer Desmond wanted was the answer to a well known riddle. I think Locke knew that, too.

(Isn't it funny how we talk about them like they're real people? I love that!)
,,,therefore I argee the best Locke answer , with out actually knowing it, was no answer

But what would have been the right answer? We can't assume that the answer Desmond wanted was the answer to a well known riddle. I think Locke knew that, too.

(Isn't it funny how we talk about them like they're real people? I love that!)

what? i'm sorry, i think you're misunderstanding me. i'm not presuming to know what the right answer was, but if i did have to make a guess i'd say the answer to the joke. but that's not the point.

kato said he thought what locke said might have been the "right" answer since so many people know the answer to the joke. now, i don't know if "do you smell carrots?" was the answer desmond was looking for to know that locke was "Him," but i definitely don't think he was looking for "i don't know what you're talking about," either.

i agree with what burningstar said and don't understand what you're asking me at all.

Does anyone else think Locke was out of charater

I'm so use to seeing and hearing Locke appear to be in control of most of the situations he has been in.....so tonight when he was confronted by Desmond I could feel that he was "out of his element". That slight indecision when Desmond was asking him if he was the one was a different situation for Locke....and for a split second Locke convinced me that he was the man.....but pretty quickly I could tell he was just going along with Desmond....or was he?!?!?!?!

;)

I think that Locke is used to most people trusting him right away. And even if they dont't trust him, they listen to him. He is usually in a position of power, and I think that Desmond threw him off balance. Desmond didn't once put that gun down, and I know that having that thing pointed in my face by a crazy Scottish guy would throw me off a little.

Locke is the same Locke as always. In the hatch with Desmond, did Locke really think he was "him"? Locke's attitude was very calm and controlled and he handled Desmond with passivity and cooperation. He "did what was in their best interests" to gain control of the situation. He was trying to stall, to get Desmond to think of them to be no threat.
In a hostile situation, and you are challenged with a question, never try to bluff! Locke would know that from his games at the box factory!!

kato said he thought what locke said might have been the "right" answer since so many people know the answer to the joke. now, i don't know if "do you smell carrots?" was the answer desmond was looking for to know that locke was "Him," but i definitely don't think he was looking for "i don't know what you're talking about," either.

But it would have been a nice twist.

what? i'm sorry, i think you're misunderstanding me. i'm not presuming to know what the right answer was, but if i did have to make a guess i'd say the answer to the joke. but that's not the point.

kato said he thought what locke said might have been the "right" answer since so many people know the answer to the joke. now, i don't know if "do you smell carrots?" was the answer desmond was looking for to know that locke was "Him," but i definitely don't think he was looking for "i don't know what you're talking about," either.

i agree with what burningstar said and don't understand what you're asking me at all.
Sorry, looks like we both misunderstood each other. I wasn't saying that what Locke replied was the right "answer" and it definitely was not what Desmond wanted to hear. What I was saying is that Locke realized that he didn't know the right answer and wasn't going to try and bluff Desmond since the odds of him getting the answer right were astonomical at best. What I meant is that I think Locke replied correctly because when he knew he didn't have the correct reply, he'd go with the honestly approach. At least, that way, Desmond wouldn't think he was trying to fake him out and possibly kill him & Kate.

And I'm not sure, too far back in the thread, to remember if I was singling you out for my reply or simply replied to you because you were one of a few that I thought were talking about the same thing.

:smile:

I thought Locke was totally in character ......and somewhat in control of the situation.
Got him to tie up Kate, not him ( I assume thinking he had a better chance of overpowering Desmond)
Managed to hide his knife switching from Desmond.
Made sure Kate was placed out of immediate harm.
Started an almost casual conversation with the man, kinda like talking a jumper off a high building.

I'm so use to seeing and hearing Locke appear to be in control of most of the situations he has been in.....so tonight when he was confronted by Desmond I could feel that he was "out of his element". That slight indecision when Desmond was asking him if he was the one was a different situation for Locke....and for a split second Locke convinced me that he was the man.....but pretty quickly I could tell he was just going along with Desmond....or was he?!?!?!?!

;)
That warm smile and happy face that Locke gave Desmond when asked "Are you him?" leads me to think that for a split second Locke thought Desmond was expecting him. But when he was asked the question, he realized that was not what Desmond was talking about because his face first registered disappointment and then uncertain concern.

Locke is the same Locke as always. In the hatch with Desmond, did Locke really think he was "him"? Locke's attitude was very calm and controlled and he handled Desmond with passivity and cooperation. He "did what was in their best interests" to gain control of the situation. He was trying to stall, to get Desmond to think of them to be no threat.
In a hostile situation, and you are challenged with a question, never try to bluff! Locke would know that from his games at the box factory!!
Oh, that's so true! He knows about when to bluff and when to fold. Good tie-in! :biggrin:

locke thinks he has some divine connection to what is going on on the island/ the hatch/ his paralysis/ the monster, etc.

he thinks that he is somehow a "chosen one". he is getting delusions of grandeur. that is what jack meant by a Locke problem.

his character has changed I think- he seems more reckless with other people's safety ever since the Boone incident.

this coincides with when "the island" was trying to take his ability to walk away.

i think he is desperate now to save his ability to walk- and desperation is dangerous.

Locke sees this as a big game. He was being pulled into a rabbit hole by an invisible tentacle, and he was not worried, and he told Jack to let him go. Locke is interested in knowledge, and finding out what is going on around him. He's trying to solve a mystery here folks. DESMOND is a giant piece of the puzzle Locke is working on. Locke is also incredibly smart, and he knew that he could talk Desmond down. Did you see the subtle suprise in Locke when he turned and saw Desmond? That turned to interest immediately. It was well played by Terry. I watched that scene and thought "Who else could have pulled that character work off like that?" Maybe 5 or 10 actors in the world could have nailed that scene that way.

knowing more now than we knew then- anybody have any new thoughts on what Locke saw when he looked into the eye of the "monster"?

knowing more now than we knew then- anybody have any new thoughts on what Locke saw when he looked into the eye of the "monster"?
No, not really. But perhaps the one he saw was not the one that killed the pilot. I think it's mechanical, judging by the sounds it makes but as to just what it looks like ... haven't got a clue! :rolleyes:

I didn't think for a second that Locke actually believed he was the man Desmond was waiting for. To me it always looked like his old self, trying to find out and put the pieces together. Besides, I think it would be too obvious if he believed. Too predictable to be Locke! He is always one step ahead. To tell Desmond he had to tie Kate was the smartest thing to do, in my opinion, (and wasn't rather easy for him to persuade Desmond that Kate was more dangerous than him?) His response to the riddle were also right to me...
So...bottomline: Locke was just Locke for me :)

I have a very hard time understanding Desmond when he's speaking lol.

My feeling was that Locke was not at all out of character - he was trying to maintain a cool facade and he needed a moment to process everything. If I walked into a room and someone asked me "Are you her?" My answer would be.. Yes I am. And I'd likely answer that immediately - because that would just seem to me to be a silly question. Of course I'm her. I doubt very much I'd ask who "her" is - but I'd find the question a bit strange. (It did remind me of when I lived with my parents and my mom would come home after seeing my car parked in the driveway and yell up to me "Lostpack, are you home?" Which sometimes I'd answer "yes" - and sometimes "no - it's just my evil twin here" No answer made sense since I always thought the question was rather redundant.)
I think Locke was just playing it cool, trying to analyze what the heck was going on.

That warm smile and happy face that Locke gave Desmond when asked "Are you him?" leads me to think that for a split second Locke thought Desmond was expecting him. But when he was asked the question, he realized that was not what Desmond was talking about because his face first registered disappointment and then uncertain concern.


i think so, too. i think for a second he really believed he was Him.