Are you angry at Michael for the murders of Ana Lucia and Libby or do you pity him for it?

Im gonna say pity. He didn't mean to kill Libby. And he is doing it for his son. Ana Lucia's death wasn't necessary but Michael probably didn't think of what else to do. Also i didn't really like Ana.

I said pity also. I know it's a minority opinion, but I think that Michael has been put into a number of difficult situations and is not a bad person.

I wasn't sad to see Ana Lucia disappear from episodes, but once I learned that he wasn't ordered to kill anybody, I felt less pity for him. . .

I feel so bad for him. I certainly pity Michael. He could have used other means to let Henry escape, but killing was just not the way to do it, in my opinion. The look on his face when he realized he shot Libby...I just wanted to give him a big hug. He looked helpless and as of this moment, it doesn't look like anyone can help him. He's going to do anything necessary to get his son back. More's the pity.

I'm devided on this one. I'm thrilled that he killed Ana Lucifer but really sad and angry that he killed Libby.

Both!

...Well i'm sad he killed Ana........and I have no idea why so many people hate her. Anywayyy... I'm still trying to decide that. I don't like how he took the quickest way possible by killing two people. He never had a time limit to when he was supposed to bring the 4 to the others camp, but he took the easiest way.

Then again, I feel sorry for him. He never really had a relationship with his son, and he really does want to. Then he lost him and now he's nearly mental because of it. Even though almost every castaway didn't have an easy life...Michael's whole life has been a struggle.

I pity him. He had to do what he had to do. A parent would do anything for their child, and we can't blame him for what he did, even though it was wrong.

Im gonna say pity. He didn't mean to kill Libby. And he is doing it for his son. Ana Lucia's death wasn't necessary but Michael probably didn't think of what else to do. Also i didn't really like Ana.

Isn't this enough of a reason to be mad at him? There are probably 1,000 other options to consider and he didn't - just decided to start bustin' caps in people.
100%
I pity him. He had to do what he had to do. A parent would do anything for their child, and we can't blame him for what he did, even though it was wrong.

Had to do? I've got an idea: instead of bowing down to The Others and believing their non-sense, maybe he could feign acceptance of their conditions and then get EVERYBODY together, as many wanted or would want to do, and go attack and kill all of them. Seriously... "You'll never see Walt again..." ? Where does he think Walt will go? They're on an ISLAND.

'Maybe they'll fly Walt off the island'
How will they do that if they're dead?
'Maybe they'll fly him off before Michael comes back'
Then what's the point of him going back anyway if his son is gone...

They should all go whip Others' azz forf messin' around!

i fee; pity as far as he had to do anything for his child, and was so scared of losing him. hes had a rough life by the looks of it so pity yeah, but there was no reason to kill ana. ok libby was a mistake, he had a shaky trigger finger. mite sound wierd but if he had just shot libby i could have foriven him, and as happy as i was to see ana die, i have to admit i loved to hate her. anas death was pre meditated and there was many other ways to free "henry". sorry michael, but u done bad son

A mixture of both.

I would've understood if the others had asked him to kill someone of his own and shake things up a bit, but they asked no such thing, thus I can't really feel any pity for his simple-minded way of solving things. What if Claire and the baby would've come into the hatch instead of Libby?

He could've tried to convince Ana to leave the hatch, and made sure no one else (Libby) was there before he freed Fenry. But then again - seeing how transparent he was in his explanations in this episode (I'm very surprised only Sayid could see through him), maybe he truly knew no other way.

Kudos to Harold though - he's doing a fantastic job, I love to hate Michael now, and I've been sympathetic to pretty much every other character, including Ana and Sawyer before.

Pity.... not for what he did, but for what I hope is coming to him. I have kids, but do not agree with the immoral bandwagon of people who think it is okay to take some else's life to advance yours. He was not protecting or helping Walt by killing either Ana Lucia or Libby. Had Walt been in immediate danger by someone Michael shot then I would agree....but that is not what happened here.

Both.

I have to go with both. Finding out his son is being tortured in "the room" and threatened with death is too much to bear, but Michael still didn't have to shoot up the hatch. Yes he should have pretended to go along with the Others' plans, but he has long since passed the point of rational thought.

Interesting that "angry" has more votes, but there are more explanations for the "pity" votes. Is it that those of us who voted angry feel justified in our votes and those who voted "pity" feel the need to explain their votes?

In any event, I think Michael has been ruined as a character, and I will be very surprised if he lives to see Season 3. And this is not a spoiler; I have no idea what the writers have planned for the character, and I haven't read any spoiler boards. This is just my opinion since I think he can't be redeemed.

I pity Michael. That doesn't mean that I think he shouldn't be held accountable for his actions. He murdered two people. He deserves what comes to him. Still, I pity him. I feel sorry because I know that he is doing what he is doing because he loves his son, and he wants his son back. Although nothing justifies murder, I know that it was a hard for Michael to do what he did... I pity him...

Seriously... "You'll never see Walt again..." ? Where does he think Walt will go? They're on an ISLAND.

'Maybe they'll fly Walt off the island'
How will they do that if they're dead?
'Maybe they'll fly him off before Michael comes back'
Then what's the point of him going back anyway if his son is gone...

They should all go whip Others' azz forf messin' around!

Gee, I don't know, maybe by "You'll never see Walt again" they mean "We'll kill him if you don't do what we say"? Think about it from Michael's POV--Walt is obviously terrified, these people have killed before (hi, Sceve! Charlie! Twenty tailies!) Is Michael supposed to think that because it's his son, they'll start drawing a line between "kidnapping" and "murder"?

Gee, I don't know, maybe by "You'll never see Walt again" they mean "We'll kill him if you don't do what we say"? Think about it from Michael's POV--Walt is obviously terrified, these people have killed before (hi, Sceve! Charlie! Twenty tailies!) Is Michael supposed to think that because it's his son, they'll start drawing a line between "kidnapping" and "murder"?

From Michael's point of view...OK - HE'S GOT NO REASON TO TRUST THEM AT ALL, is good enough for me. Looking beyong that, it's not going to DO THEM ANY GOOD AT ALL to kill Walt. The best they could hope for, with an attack from our Losties, is to fend them off and keep on with their experiments on Walt. Killing Walt would do them NO GOOD AT ALL except to ensure that, if they fend our Losties off, they will NO LONGER HAVE WALT TO PERFORM TESTS ON. There's no reason to think they would just kill Walt, someone that is obviously so valuable to them.

I said pity, because I lean towards pity, even though I'm also angry. What I'm angry with the most though is just Michael's sheer stupidity. I don't think he's an evil person. I empathize with him, but I think that he could have moved forward in a much smarter way.

Gee, I don't know, maybe by "You'll never see Walt again" they mean "We'll kill him if you don't do what we say"? Think about it from Michael's POV--Walt is obviously terrified, these people have killed before (hi, Sceve! Charlie! Twenty tailies!) Is Michael supposed to think that because it's his son, they'll start drawing a line between "kidnapping" and "murder"?
but it doesn't really make sense that they would kill walt...with all that "he's a very special boy" and going to all the trouble to get him in the first place...they kind of seem to want him...kind of a side point i know but to me that's what nudged me into the angry camp..I mean even walt yelled out to michael that "they're pretending"..and come on even if mike ties those four up in ribbons and presents them on a parade float you think they are really going to give him the kid back?....yup..i'm angry...:biggrin:

Wow, that's amazing. The voting is almost perfectly split 50/50. People are really divided on this.

I feel for him and his situation but I'm angry at him because the Losties were his friends. What he should have done was pretend he was going to do what the Others told him to do and then gone back to the camp and enlisted their help. He could have asked them to allow him to let Henry escape, make it look like part of the plan and then lead the four back with him all the while having Sayid and others in secret helping to make a rescue. Why he would trust the Others that they would give Walt back is beyond me. What makes matters worse was no one told him he had to kill anybody and he deliberately kills Ana and then shoots Libby. He should have come clean and asked for help.

From Michael's point of view...OK - HE'S GOT NO REASON TO TRUST THEM AT ALL, is good enough for me.

Yep. But at the same time, he HAS to trust them--it's the only chance of hope he has. To the best of his knowledge, the Lostaways have NO CHANCE against the Others--Ana-Lucia told him about how they slaughtered the tailaways; he saw the havoc Ethan created; he knows they have boats, Molotov cocktails, etc.; he knows that they know the Island far better than our group does, and a military strategist would tell you that a outnumbered, poorly-armed guerilla group that knows the land intimately has the advantage over a well-disciplined, well-armed army that has very little grasp of the layout--and our group isn't well-disciplined or well-armed! He has to take the chance that they're good for their word, because it's the only chance he has.

Looking beyong that, it's not going to DO THEM ANY GOOD AT ALL to kill Walt. The best they could hope for, with an attack from our Losties, is to fend them off and keep on with their experiments on Walt. Killing Walt would do them NO GOOD AT ALL except to ensure that, if they fend our Losties off, they will NO LONGER HAVE WALT TO PERFORM TESTS ON. There's no reason to think they would just kill Walt, someone that is obviously so valuable to them.

Yeah, but does Michael know that they won't kill him because he's too valuable? Or is that just a hope he clings to but doesn't have much faith in?


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ETA:

but it doesn't really make sense that they would kill walt...with all that "he's a very special boy" and going to all the trouble to get him in the first place...they kind of seem to want him...kind of a side point i know but to me that's what nudged me into the angry camp..I mean even walt yelled out to michael that "they're pretending"..and come on even if mike ties those four up in ribbons and presents them on a parade float you think they are really going to give him the kid back?

Again...from our perspective, sure, we can see that they wouldn't kill Walt, he's too special/important. But from Michael's perspective? He doesn't know that--at best, it's a thought he tries to hold on to to ward off terror. His son's been kidnapped, and he -- unlike us with our third-person-semiomniscient perspective -- has no reason to think that the Others will draw the line there.

Wow, that's amazing. The voting is almost perfectly split 50/50. People are really divided on this.

I feel for him and his situation but I'm angry at him because the Losties were his friends. What he should have done was pretend he was going to do what the Others told him to do and then gone back to the camp and enlisted their help. He could have asked them to allow him to let Henry escape, make it look like part of the plan and then lead the four back with him all the while having Sayid and others in secret helping to make a rescue. Why he would trust the Others that they would give Walt back is beyond me. What makes matters worse was no one told him he had to kill anybody and he deliberately kills Ana and then shoots Libby. He should have come clean and asked for help.

Amen, Brother. Thanks for helping make the point I was trying to make. It gets frustrating because it seems like such a simple, common-sense deal...

he is a cold, blooded murderer.. plain and simple

I do feel pity for him, although I voted angry. I saw his murdering unnecessary, but I understand that perhaps he thought it was necessary. He's never been my favorite character because I have a hard time connecting to a Dad who abandoned his child. I know his ex-wife tricked and cornered him, but still he should have MADE a way to get to Walt and NEVER given up!

Sorry for Michael. Angry at the writers.

I was really angry at him for killing them... the whole episode of 3 minutes I kept thinking nasty thoughts about him and hoping he gets caught. But the, towards the end of the episode where Walt runs to him and hugs him and is beggining him not to leave him, and gets ripped out of his arms, it was understandable. I think any parent could only begin to imagine what they would do for their child to get them back and away from danger. I came to a quick understanding that nothing may be off limits when it comes to protecting your child.

I feel bad for Michael. When he saw Walt, and Walt was saying "don't leave me. I love you!" :( I think Michael would do anything to protect his son. I don't understand why he had to kill Ana though.. I think he killed Libby by accident.. and when he did kill them he really did seem sorry...

I said I pity Michael, because his actions weren't those of a rationally thinking man. I am really upset about Libby's death as well as that of Ana. I don't want him to die before he confesses what he did - but i want him to die.
I feel bad for saying that.

Sorry for Michael. Angry at the writers.

Perfectly expressed. They're the ones guilty of murder since they assassinated Michael's character.

I fall under the "angry" category for Michael. While I couldn't stand Ana Lucia and thankful the writers got rid of her, I don't buy his rationale one bit. I disagree with the prevailing attitude of "he will do (and justified in doing) whatever it takes to get his son back." Including murder?!

If that is somehow justifiable, then he should take a page from Steven King's Misery and break the ankles of his four prey and then just drag them over to the Others on a pallet. The Others would probably like that since they won't be able to run away from them.

Michael is selfish. He does things for himself and wraps self-righteousness of "I am his father" around it all. If there were any other fathers on the island (strange that there aren't, eh?) they'd put him in his place. He is willing to kill to get his son, yet he gave up his parental rights without much of a fight. This is a weak story line and needs to end soon.

What does it merit a man to gain the world yet lose his soul?

As a father myself, I would never take Michael's course of action. I would not be stupid enough to believe the Others would simply give me my son back in exchange for four of my peers. What assurances does he have? He knows he can be easily captured. He'll be tied up back in the hut or dead by following the Others deal. I would have spilled the beans to my fellow Lostaways and come up with a plan.

Im angry as he was a nice character , however im glad he killed Anna Lucia off , i couldnt take much more of her lol :p

I am sooo angry at Michael. There was no need to kill Libby or Ana. He could have gotten back to the camp and told the losties what the Others wanted. They could have come up with a much better solution than busting caps into unarmed women. It was stupid, it was cowardly and it was unforgivable.

Heck, Jack wanted to do an exchange with the Others. Micheal/Walt for Fenry. He got michael back.. they should have let fenry go. I know that it wouldn't have been the smartest thing, but it would have eventually saved two lives. But then again, the people on the island never do seem to divulge any knowledge with each other so why would Michael bother to let them know what the others wanted. ARGG

Let's all remember that Michael only became Walt's custodial parent a few weeks ago -- he was extremely ambivilent about taking Walt into his life and, let's face it, probably would have nothing to do with Walt if not for the death of Walt's mother.

If Michael had been Walt's day-to-day father from birth until now, I could almost rationalize Michael's behavior.

But, he hasn't. He could barely answer the questions Ms. Klugh was asking. And I agree with her, for a father who's so hell-bent on getting his son back, he sure doesn't know much about him.

I am a parent of two. I would shoot to kill if in imminent danger of death to myself or my children. No way would I shoot a 3rd party in order to go along with some madman's scheme. If they are evil enough to kidnap a child, does Michael really think they're going to live up to their end of the deal?!

And which of the Losties knows the Others best? Walt! And what did he tell Michael? THEY'RE PRETENDING! Michael -- take note!

Michael is pitiful only in how STUPID and SELFISH he is!

Anyone who goes round killing people in a hopeful attempt to "save" (I dont believe he is saving Walt, Walt is safe but Michael is killing people because he wants him back, not to save his life) their child deserves to die themselves.

In his situation, Id have come clean and tried to launch a conter attack on them, after all, they have more weapons.

When it all goes wrong, Michael will not have Walt, he cant stay with the others and he wont be able to stay with the losties because they wont trust him.

Michael just cant think logically or beyond 1 immediate goal.

A mixture of both.

Ditto.
Going with the "guilty but insane" verdict.

Can't vote.

I'd say both. You can't help but be angry with him for killing Ana Lucia and sweet little Libby, especially when seeing how devasted poor Hurley is over Libby's death. But at the same time, what else can Michael do? He's in a desperate situation right now. Can you imagine sitting there having your child begging for you to help him and not being able to do anything? He's on the edge right now and not thinking about anything but getting his little boy back. I don't agree with what he did, but I do understand his reasons for doing it.

I voted angry. Although I feel both.I do not think Micheal would have killed anyone unless he felt he had no choice. But the fact still remains he has done a terrible thing. I agree with Passport. I want Micheal to confess and pay for his actions.

I'm angry. How could Walt be proud of a father who was that weak. I do not believe that good things can come out of bad choices. I don't feel Michael has any logic or convictions and is just following his emotional nose.

I am angrier that he is leading the 4 back to the others though deception. It is clear that they are very supportive people, and would do anything they felt was right to help him out. But they should be given their own choice to go or not based on the mission that was given to Michael.

I will be watching Michael careful to see when he starts growing as a person, as several of the other characters have.
100%
I said I pity Michael, because his actions weren't those of a rationally thinking man.

I feel we should be angry at people when they are irrational. It is a crime against truth and humanity. Think of all the ills in history caused by it.

I feel sorry for him.

I pity him. He probably figured someone would always be in the hatch at somepoint, because people are always there to push the button. He probably thought he had to kill someone, and it seemed like the perfect oppurtunity when it was just ana lucia. Also, you could tell how bad he felt when he shot libby, and then at their funerals.

:strngsad: ...i felt sorry for him, and i see his struggle with what he has to do...i have a son the same age as walt, and i would do ANYTHING for him and after the few minutes he had with walt, that bond when a kid says i love you, please help me...it's over, this may be a fatal mistake for michael, it could take a turn for the worse and lead them all down a road of no return...
skybluelost:-o

i put pity. that seen with him and klugh was really sad

Yep. But at the same time, he HAS to trust them--it's the only chance of hope he has. To the best of his knowledge, the Lostaways have NO CHANCE against the Others--Ana-Lucia told him about how they slaughtered the tailaways; he saw the havoc Ethan created; he knows they have boats, Molotov cocktails, etc.; he knows that they know the Island far better than our group does, and a military strategist would tell you that a outnumbered, poorly-armed guerilla group that knows the land intimately has the advantage over a well-disciplined, well-armed army that has very little grasp of the layout--and our group isn't well-disciplined or well-armed! He has to take the chance that they're good for their word, because it's the only chance he has.



Yeah, but does Michael know that they won't kill him because he's too valuable? Or is that just a hope he clings to but doesn't have much faith in?


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ETA:



Again...from our perspective, sure, we can see that they wouldn't kill Walt, he's too special/important. But from Michael's perspective? He doesn't know that--at best, it's a thought he tries to hold on to to ward off terror. His son's been kidnapped, and he -- unlike us with our third-person-semiomniscient perspective -- has no reason to think that the Others will draw the line there.
but both of those things (the special boy remark and walts yelling in the tent) happened to michael...the fact that he's ignoring what is right in front of him is what makes it hard for me to pity him....:)

Wow, that's amazing. The voting is almost perfectly split 50/50. People are really divided on this.

I feel for him and his situation but I'm angry at him because the Losties were his friends.
I have to kinda disagree with you on this...I think the only people Michael possibly had any real feelings of friendship for were maybe Jin and Sun. But even then, he ran off and left Jin with the Tailies to go into the jungle in search of Walt. I guess I see Michael as more of a solitary person who interacts as necessary with Walt being the closest person he has to having an actual emotional attachment to. And for that reason, I pity him in that he seems unable or unwilling to trust in the people he has had almost daily contact with and who have been there for him.

I don't get the people who are arguing that they would do anything for their child. Would any of you really go right up to an unarmed person who was not threatening you and blow them away? I think not.

Besides, The Others never said anything about killing Walt, only that Mike would never see him again. So in essence, Mike is killing people in cold blood for visitation rights! ;) Seriously though, Michael is a smart guy (engineer), he really could have come up with some kind of plan in this scenario that didn't involve killing innocent people. I can't see him recovering from this predicament where he could actually live freely with the camp again, once the truth gets out.

I feel sorry for Harold Perrineau who plays Michael and frustrated by the the writers and creative team for the lame job they've done with season 2.




Besides, The Others never said anything about killing Walt, only that Mike would never see him again. So in essence, Mike is killing people in cold blood for visitation rights! ;)

Oh but Michael thinks The Others are not only going to give him Walt back, but they're going to give him a boat to sail who knows where. Of course they'll let him go because he would never mention the wierd island with the smoke monster and polar bears where the survivors of Flight 815 are stranded.

I was thinking about this recently . . . Michael knows that Walt isn't in danger -- the Others want him. What if leaving Walt alone -- for the time being at least is the best and safest choice for now?

I voted "pity", because I do sympathize with Michael's situation and I can't really say I'm "angry" for what he did, though I certainly don't condone murder under any circumstance (with the exception of self-defense, I suppose).

However, what I don't get is why Michael didn't unlock the armoury, fake a struggle, shoot himself in the arm (which he ended up doing anyway), and let "Henry" escape...

"Henry" may not have shot Ana dead, he may just have knocked her unconscious... and even if it did come down to "Henry" killing Ana, at least Michael wouldn't have been the one to pull the trigger----though I realize he would still be partially responsible for her death.

Also, Libby may not have been shot since "Henry" probably wouldn't have regarded her as a real threat. She probably would have raised her hands and shouted: "Don't shoot!" allowing "Henry" to turn and run out the hatch with little complication.