Anyone notice how strangely Charlie was acting after the whole electro-magna thing? Usually he is pretty excitable, why wouldn't he be telling everyone about the dynamite?

And where's Eko?

IS IT REALLY EVEN CHARLIE????

really charlie? as in he was like ethan ect? no to much back story on charlie for him not to be real. Vaccine?? perhaps its a drug to bring out the dark, like a jekyl hyde? though desmond didnt seem hooked on it though did he?

Yea I noticed that right away. He seemed like something had changed with him. Like he was now a different person.

I just thought he was being funny.....But I don't mind...

yeah, those who I was watching the episode with noticed that right away.

Though keeping people in the dark about what just happened is nothing new on the island.

Maybe he saw something that reassured his faith.

Maybe the magnetism messed with his brain?

Yeah he was definitely acting out of character and it's strange that he isn't worried about Locke and Eko.

Maybe he lost his hearing and couldn't really hear what people were asking him.

Post Tramatic Shock syndrome.... he nearly died in there what with the fireball and the fork and the washing machine?... and afterwards he was having trouble hearing and his hands were all jittery .. I think he's useing humor as a defence mechanism because he is REALLY freaked out. And at the same time he doesn't want to upset Claire.

That's true, if his hearing is still affected, then his sense of balance could be off and he could be feeling dizzy and light-headed

I think it’s related to his hearing and the initial shock of the event. His behavior didn’t surprise me.

Well I pretty much think it's one of three things-

Charlie's experiencing PTS and he's trying to be funny about it because what he saw or went through deeply, deeply disturbed him. I've actually been through the same kind of thing before. It's a very odd feeling.

Second option- Charlie's actually trying to cover up what happened for some reason... and he's the only one who survived. But I don't see how that can be possible because he was holding Eko in front of him. I mean... eh, a lot of things could have happend I suppose. Just for now, this second option doesn't seem so feasible.

Three- Brain damage. *shrugs* Hope not...

could he have made it back to the beach so quickly? isn't it quite a long hike from the beach to the hatch? he seemed to just kinda of show up soon after the explosion happened.
100%
could he have made it back to the beach so quickly? isn't it quite a long hike from the beach to the hatch? he seemed to just kinda of show up soon after the explosion happened.

I think he is just really freaked out.

I thought it was just his hearing and his equillibrium being out of whack. Overall I think its just Charlie.

But he didn't seem to care what happened to Eko or Locke.. and just said "Oh really? They're not back yet? Weird." It could be shock.. but he just seemed darker and not just like he was lying to protect Claire.. Even she said herself "Well something happened.. the sky turned vibrant white (or something like that).

I don't think its PTS, trauma or anything like that. Charlie seemed kind of shady since the beginning of the episode. The background music was also a little twisted and off key from the usual way it's played. It's like there is something sinister going on in a sub level of his mind.
I think Charlie still has it in for Locke. He blames Locke for turning Claire against him and stepping in as the Daddy figure for Aaron. Once he knew Eko was against Locke, he was all in on the plan. He is trying to win Claire back and Locke is a threat to their relationship.
Charlie didn't know if Locke was okay after the explosion. He probably would prefer Locke out of the picture for good. All we know is that Charlie got his bud Eko back on his feet. He didn't mention the explosion to Claire, because he probably didn't want anyone to know Locke was possibly hurt or killed. After all, he was instrumental in providing the dynamite.
So for now, he is playing the "tough, feel-no-pain/good guy/funny guy" act, not to block his traumatic experience, but to win Claire back. I think he would stop at nothing to get back with Claire and Aaron.

Post Tramatic Shock syndrome.... he nearly died in there what with the fireball and the fork and the washing machine?... and afterwards he was having trouble hearing and his hands were all jittery .. I think he's useing humor as a defence mechanism because he is REALLY freaked out. And at the same time he doesn't want to upset Claire.

I agree with this. This is typical behaviour for Charlie. Not to complain, to cover it with a joke and to be protective of Claire by not telling her the gruesome details. I think rather than being upset with him, she was finally appreciating the fact that he was being protective.

I don't think its PTS, trauma or anything like that. Charlie seemed kind of shady since the beginning of the episode. The background music was also a little twisted and off key from the usual way it's played. It's like there is something sinister going on in a sub level of his mind.
I think Charlie still has it in for Locke. He blames Locke for turning Claire against him and stepping in as the Daddy figure for Aaron. Once he knew Eko was against Locke, he was all in on the plan. He is trying to win Claire back and Locke is a threat to their relationship.
Charlie didn't know if Locke was okay after the explosion. He probably would prefer Locke out of the picture for good. All we know is that Charlie got his bud Eko back on his feet. He didn't mention the explosion to Claire, because he probably didn't want anyone to know Locke was possibly hurt or killed. After all, he was instrumental in providing the dynamite.
So for now, he is playing the "tough, feel-no-pain/good guy/funny guy" act, not to block his traumatic experience, but to win Claire back. I think he would stop at nothing to get back with Claire and Aaron.

This makes it sound much more sinister than it was. First, as for the music, ABC had a problem with it's audio for about a hlaf hour of the broadcast and everything sounded like it was underwater. As for Charlie, he actually was concerned for Locke and tried to warn him about what Eko was doing. Locke on the other hand, was the one who didn't care. After the explosion, Desmond told Locke his friends might be hurt and Locke said, "they're not my friends". Locke didn't care at all if Charlie and Eko were dead out there. That was far worse. Charlie yelled to Locke to try and talk things over and save him and he also tried to drag Eko to safety. He showed a lot more concern than Locke did. I think afterwards it was just trauma and his own injuries that caused him to stop worrying about Eko and Locke.

The first thing I thought after the last scene was that Charlie was acting weird, and sure enough, looks like I'm not the only one who noticed it.

I think Charlie does have a tendency to cover up his feelings and be tough sometimes, but we also see a very hyper, panic-stricken Charlie sometimes.....for what happened in there, it didn't seem like he was affected much afterwards when maybe a normal person would've been.

With regards to being sinister, I agree w/ pacejunkie, that he tried to save both Locke and Eko.....neither of whom seem to give a rat's a$$ about Charlie. I don't think he's doing anything sinister or he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to save either of them.

Having said that, it's strange that he would just walk away from the hatch afterwards, and then kinda blow it off when Bernard asked where they were....

I was thinking that maybe he sorta had amnesia, but then again, he remembered the fireball.......maybe he doesn't really remember Eko and Locke and some of the stuff that happened???

Yeah he was definitely acting out of character and it's strange that he isn't worried about Locke and Eko.

there is no way his behavior was PTSD or shock or anything else. something else is going on here. TPTB have building up his odd behavior for a while now, and this is the culmination. i guess we'll all see this fall.

Maybe he lost his hearing and couldn't really hear what people were asking him.

I thought that, too. Kind of just smiling and nodding and joking.

His behaviour seemed quite weird for me. He made it out of the hatch BEFORE the lights, so he did see it happen. I'm sure he didn't want to upset Claire... but it would've been nice to see someone show some concern for err... anyone? Locke, Eko, Kate, Sayid, Sun, Michael (ugh), Hurley, Jack or Sawyer... These 4 months are going to take forever...

Disassociation [sp?] Charlie has a history of being emotionally selfish. When he's upset he wants everyone to know, and care, and tend to his needs. Several times in this episode Charlie broke that mold. [cue death music] Could Charlie be coming to a understanding of his own demons?

In general, his attitude after "incident part deux" freaked me out, and I'm having a really hard time explaing why. He seemed very "off". I very much disagree with theorists who belive it's a coping mechanism of some sort. As is often the case with Losties, "Something is Up".

Hopefully we can all enjoy the Experiance till October...

I was surprised to see so many people discussing the strangeness of Charlie. So much happened in the episode that I hadn't really focused on him. I thought that it was strange that he didn't mention what happened at the hatch -- but then again these people NEVER talk about anything. Also, I wonder too if he is just weary and tired to all the worrying or if he is punishing Eko for shutting him out -- which doesn't make sense following the scene where he is desperately trying to get Eko out.

He was acting strangely after the explosion.
But he may be in shock, his hearing is damaged---maybe eardrums blown, he may have a concussion, as well as lesser injuries.

I think he's behaving as all the Losties have been--in an evasive fashion. And Claire's being nice to him now--giving him selfish reasons to not want to rock the boat and have her start asking a bazillion questions about "what happened" or he could just be right in character in being protective of her by not upsetting her with the truth of what happened to him.

Truly, I don't think he knows what has become of Eko & Locke and he's not ready to deal with it.
I think the scene with him coming across Locke after Locke got a beat-down from Eko was deliberately played in a shady fashion to get fans talking.Charlie seemed devious and he was in fact mouthing words to Locke that could be taken different ways but I think he's still harbouring a big grudge for the very shabby way Locke treated him.

This show is very focused on dualities. In a short time Charlie went through some major events and several sides of his personality--heroic/sarcastic/funny/evasive/shady--they were all here. Pretty normal behaviour in very abnormal circumstances.

Charlie is emotionally immature and insecure so maybe after he tried to rescue Eko and Eko again rejected him to find Locke, Charlie has had enough and has cut himself off from both Eko and Locke.

Three- Brain damage. *shrugs* Hope not...

:eek2: That made me laugh so hard. If there's any brain damage it would be from the drugs. :biggrin:

I thought it was just his hearing and his equillibrium being out of whack. Overall I think its just Charlie.

i agree, i thought he was finally acting normal. He's been acting weird ever since Claire rejected him.

But he didn't seem to care what happened to Eko or Locke.. and just said "Oh really? They're not back yet? Weird." It could be shock.. but he just seemed darker and not just like he was lying to protect Claire.. Even she said herself "Well something happened.. the sky turned vibrant white (or something like that).

i don't think that he didn't care, i think he knows that they're okay and was just saying that if they're not back yet then it's their own business.

This makes it sound much more sinister than it was. First, as for the music, ABC had a problem with it's audio for about a hlaf hour of the broadcast and everything sounded like it was underwater. As for Charlie, he actually was concerned for Locke and tried to warn him about what Eko was doing. Locke on the other hand, was the one who didn't care. After the explosion, Desmond told Locke his friends might be hurt and Locke said, "they're not my friends". Locke didn't care at all if Charlie and Eko were dead out there. That was far worse. Charlie yelled to Locke to try and talk things over and save him and he also tried to drag Eko to safety. He showed a lot more concern than Locke did. I think afterwards it was just trauma and his own injuries that caused him to stop worrying about Eko and Locke.

i didn't have any sound problems: the only time everything sounded "underwater" was when Charlie's ears were ringing right after the explosion, which i thought was awesome. i totally agree with you observations though: Charlie was being more considerate and rational than Eko especially, and Locke was just being a jerk. Just because they couldn't get through didn't mean that he shouldn't try to stop them from hurting themselves like that. idiots :rolleyes:

His behaviour seemed quite weird for me. He made it out of the hatch BEFORE the lights, so he did see it happen. I'm sure he didn't want to upset Claire... but it would've been nice to see someone show some concern for err... anyone? Locke, Eko, Kate, Sayid, Sun, Michael (ugh), Hurley, Jack or Sawyer... These 4 months are going to take forever...

He made it out before the lights? i don't remember seeing that, now i have to go and watch it again i guess...

i didn't have any sound problems: the only time everything sounded "underwater" was when Charlie's ears were ringing right after the explosion, which i thought was awesome. i totally agree with you observations though: Charlie was being more considerate and rational than Eko especially, and Locke was just being a jerk. Just because they couldn't get through didn't mean that he shouldn't try to stop them from hurting themselves like that. idiots :rolleyes:

Could have been my local network but I had sound issues during my broadcast that were eventually corrected during the scene where Kelvin was showing Desmond the failsafe key. There was a video flash and then the audio was fixed. But I agree I thought the part they did with it sounding like it did to Charlie with the ringing and the muffled sounds was really cool. It may be a hint that Charlie's hearing is more impaired than he is letting on and would explain his behaviour.

Could have been my local network but I had sound issues during my broadcast that were eventually corrected during the scene where Kelvin was showing Desmond the failsafe key. There was a video flash and then the audio was fixed. But I agree I thought the part they did with it sounding like it did to Charlie with the ringing and the muffled sounds was really cool. It may be a hint that Charlie's hearing is more impaired than he is letting on and would explain his behaviour. That would be a good storyline for Charlie next season. With the heroin gone, what could be more dramatic then a musician losing his hearing?

Maybe he saw something that reassured his faith.

This thought occured to me too...Claire made some comment about the sky being violet & Charlie just smiled and nodded away. What did he see?!? What did the electromagnetic discharge do to him?!?!?!

So many new questions!!!!

:)

There was definitely something up. I'm leaning toward the supernatural.
Think about this: Charlie's not really there, sitting beside Claire. He's actually trapped under rubble in the hatch and he's remote viewing or some such nonsense. I like this explanation because I don't understand it.

My biggest complaint with this season - and, in fact, my only complaint - would be the characterizations of Sawyer mid-season and Charlie for a good portion of it. This was nothing out of the ordinary because the writers still don't know what the hell to do with him.

I didn't see anything weird about it. He was acting and reacting the way Charlie always does.

That scene in the woods with Locke was him digging on Locke because he still holds a grudge for him punching him out in front of everyone...HOWEVER when it came down to it he tried to talk Locke into leaving the hatch and warned him about Eko and the dynamite. He tried to talk Eko into NOT setting the dynamite...he could have just said 'the heck with all of them..I'm getting out of here NOW.' Instead he did his best after the explosion to get Eko out of there. He was behaving very unselfishly imho.

Now afterward on the beach...when he asked "They haven't made it back yet?" It made me think that he knew that everyone was alive...but his senses could have been jarred by the explosion.

I foresee a scenario where J/K/S are gone, Sayid/Jin/Sun are gone...Eko/Locke/Desmond are out of commission and it will be up to the young folks..Charlie, Claire and Hurley to 'lead' the group. I think it will be good for them...and they will surprise us and rise to the occaison...but then I've always been an optimist. :D

I foresee a scenario where J/K/S are gone, Sayid/Jin/Sun are gone...Eko/Locke/Desmond are out of commission and it will be up to the young folks..Charlie, Claire and Hurley to 'lead' the group. I think it will be good for them...and they will surprise us and rise to the occaison...but then I've always been an optimist. :D

You mean we'll get treated to a Charlie season elf? I can dream :rolleyes: . Remember Exodus ended the exact same way, with Charlie returning as a hero, most everyone else off somewhere, he's sitting injured and Claire appreciates him. That and the drugs he stashed made it seem like major story fodder for season two and then.......nothing. I hope season three is different.

I agree with you about his behavior though. I just didn't think it was that weird considering what he'd just been through. And it's true his lack of alarm over Eko and Locke could have been becasue he knows nothing happened and they're fine.

Maybe Charlie didn't act super concerned about Eko and Locke because he already knew they had survived and was only mildly surprised they hadn't made it back to the beach yet.

Maybe Charlie didn't act super concerned about Eko and Locke because he already knew they had survived and was only mildly surprised they hadn't made it back to the beach yet.'

Very possible. But I am leaning toward an earlier post that suggested Charlie secretly wanted Locke out of the picture. Have we all forgoteen how sinister Charlie could be???? Why would that only be for one or two episodes?? Nahhhh......that man is eeeeevil! :o

'

Very possible. But I am leaning toward an earlier post that suggested Charlie secretly wanted Locke out of the picture. Have we all forgoteen how sinister Charlie could be???? Why would that only be for one or two episodes?? Nahhhh......that man is eeeeevil! :o

I'm sorry but if anyone is evil here, it was Locke. Charlie may still be angry at Locke but when the chips were down he could have run. Instead he stayed at great risk to himself and tried to stop Eko and warn Locke of the dynamite. Then after he even tries to rescue Eko. He was a hero.

Locke on the other hand wouldn't let Desmond check on them after the blast. Desmond doesn't even know Eko and Charlie and was concerned about them as any human being would be. Locke, who just explained how he felt responsible for the death of Boone and you would think wouldn't want the death of another kid on his conscience, simply says "they're not my friends" and changes the subject, leaving them out there to die. THAT was evil.

That wasn't our Charlie. It's too early in the morning for me to bother redoing my post on my LiveJournal, so I'm linking to it, should anyone want to read my speculation.

But no way was that our Charlie.

http://mollymoon.livejournal.com/173849.html#cutid1

Locke on the other hand wouldn't let Desmond check on them after the blast. Desmond doesn't even know Eko and Charlie and was concerned about them as any human being would be. Locke, who just explained how he felt responsible for the death of Boone and you would think wouldn't want the death of another kid on his conscience, simply says "they're not my friends" and changes the subject, leaving them out there to die. THAT was evil. ITA. Locke used to be one of my favorite character but now I don't give a damn if he survives or not. I'm not even interested to know how he got into that wheelchair in the first place. The writers really turned Locke into a pathetic character this season. I'm not interested anymore.

As for Charlie acting weird, he also had a concussion - that leaves people disoriented and the might suffer memory loss from it.

That wasn't our Charlie. It's too early in the morning for me to bother redoing my post on my LiveJournal, so I'm linking to it, should anyone want to read my speculation.

But no way was that our Charlie.

http://mollymoon.livejournal.com/173849.html#cutid1


He’s giddy, and completely uninterested going to look for Locke or Eko, who haven’t shown up yet. The next sequence in this storyline is Claire and Charlie sitting by a fire, which means that a few more hours have passed because its dark now. It seems obvious to me that whatever else happened in those hours between this scene and Charlie’s reappearance that no one tried very hard to see if Desmond, Locke and Eko had survived. To which I say, our Charlie would not have done that. Everything we know about him during the time he’s been on the island shows that he’s the kind of person who wants to help, even if the ‘help’ isn’t what’s needed or useful. Our Charlie would have gone back to the hatch and searched for the other three.



I think your reasoning is right but your conclusion is wrong. The answers on this show are always much simpler than that, and the simple answer is that nothing did happen. Charlie's not concerned because Desmond was wrong. It wasn't suicide to turn the key, it was just an off switch. Charlie saw it all stop, he left the three alive and well in the hatch and made his way back to the beach. He's not concerned because nothing did happen. He was making jokes because that's just Charlie's defense mechanism and he was still uncomfortable with Claire because of their recent split. He was examining his hand because it was injured.

Not only Charlie, but Claire, too. She was like, giggling about the whole thing. No one seemed really freaked out about what happened. It was almost like it wiped their memories out or something...it definitely had an effect. It wasn't a normal explosion either. No fire, no boom. Just white noise and...white everything else. Messed up!

I just had an idea about Charlie's possible 'weird' behavior. Remember he had vaccinated himself? I know Desmond told Claire it did nothing but it may not have when things went according to plan AND he thought it was for the 'infection' that was on the island. What if it was for something that is released when the button is not pushed?

CHarlie is in the hatch..weird things happen. He sees Eko, Locke and Desmond are ok from the explosion and flying forks. He heads back to camp.

Could it be that E/D/L have been exposed to something...lethal and Charlie had made himself immune to it?

That perhaps E/D/L are back at the hatch...with the beginings of an unknonw sickness and Charlie walked away believing they were ok?

The word I used to describe Charlie was "smug." The whole "huh?" "they're not back yet?" "what light?" kind of bugged me. (And Claire apparently loved it!) He just seemed very disinterested in everything, but that could also be because Eko and Locke both almost got him killed. My first thought though, was that he was stoned.

I didn't think Charlie was acting particularly weird for this show. Virtually all of the characters have been schizophrenic in their behaviors. Locke was guru guy, then started acting like a child when things stopped going his way. Jack went from nice reluctant hero to angry, yelling, arrogant guy. Kate went from super sly and manipulative to silly flirty girl who accidentally leads people into traps. Sawyer's a jerk, no wait, he's nice but snarky, no wait... You get the idea. I can hardly fault Charlie for acting weird given all the other characters' behaviors, and he could be sort of shell-shocked.

All I could think about in the final Claire and Charlie scene was how the "psychic" told her that she alone had to raise Aaron. Charlie certainly was acting weird. Why didn't he even go back to check on Eko or Locke?

All I could think about in the final Claire and Charlie scene was how the "psychic" told her that she alone had to raise Aaron. Charlie certainly was acting weird. Why didn't he even go back to check on Eko or Locke?

The psychic didn't actually say that. He said 'you yourself' must raise this child. He didn't use the word 'alone'. It would be impossible for her to raise the baby in isolation. Even back in the real world she would have baby sitters and daycare to help her out.

I think what the psychic saw was a warning about the 'others'....not Charlie or anyone els one the island who wanted to help her out.

I think part of it is still shell shock from suffering a concussive blast from the dynamite. However, something happened at that hatch that we aren't privy to yet. I bet something very important occurred that will clear up Charlie's nonchalant attitude. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Didn't we just find out that the psychic admitted to Eko that he was a fake?

I think that Charlie is in shock. And the fact that he keeps tapping his hand on his ear means that he probably does have some ear damage.

And knowing that electromagnetic charges affect peoples minds -- change their way of thinking -- it's possible that at ground zero (the hatch) that Charlie's mind may have been affected. And like Elfdream said the vaccine may have worked in combination with the flash to affect Charlie in some way.

I found it interesting that Charlie said something about Desmonds boat might be a trap not long after Sayid told Jack that Michael might be leading them into a trap. It reminded me of Henry being able to pick up what Jack and Locke were saying in the hatch behind closed doors.

It's possible that some abilities have developed in the others after their longtime exposure to the magnetic field of the island that the losties have been slowly developing(including the dreams). Of course this is an old theory but what if being at ground zero( the hatch) and being exposed to the surge that occured at the electromagnetic release accelerates the affect. It's possible that Charlie may be accelerating in whatever has been slowly happening to all of them and he's going through a period of confusion and disorientation. And if the vaccine had anything to do with it -- it may not have affected anyone else the same way. Just a thought.

I just think he's acting casual becasue he knows everything is fine. Nothing happened. The failsafe was not suicide, there was no explosion. Desmond reversed the electromagnet's polarity and it repelled the hatch door all the way to the beach. Other than a big noise which Charlie may not have heard as intensely, everything in the hatch stopped moving and nothing else happened. He's simply telling the truth. I won't speculate in the effects of exposure and his mental state until I see more evidence but what I've seen is explainable.

I just watched the episode again. Charlie is CLEARLY disoriented when he returns to camp. When he is asked about Eko and Locke he is HONESTLY surprised that they are not there. For a few seconds it seems like he is going to think about that but Claire is standing there in all her glory apparently happy to see him alive and she becomes the focus of his attention.

So I think he is surprised that Eko and Locke are not back yet, he was going to consider the ramifications of that but was distracted by Claire.

The reason he doesn't demand that anyone go back and check on them? He apparently assumes Locke and Eko are ok and are big boys and can take care of themselves...

Maybe Charlie didn't act super concerned about Eko and Locke because he already knew they had survived and was only mildly surprised they hadn't made it back to the beach yet.



I agree. His 'odd' behaviour, to me, was just him trying to keep Claire from getting stressed out. He was in "Hey, everything's cool, don't worry!" mode.

His hearing is probably affected, but he's not completely deaf, because he was able to hear stuff.

He could also be just in shock, which is an excellent theory.

I was also thinking about some sort of memory loss. Obviously, he didn't forget about the "fork" and the dynamite, but he doesn't seem to have an recollection of the explosion.

He remembers the explosion of the dynamite. He mentioned that. It was what happened after the counter ran down that he describes as "nothing". He remember the flying forks and stuff and after that, probably nothing happened. Desmond turned the key and it all stopped. There wasn't a second explosion, just a reversal of the magnet. I don't think he has memory loss, but he might have a concussion and is describing what happened in very general terms.

Anyone notice how strangely Charlie was acting after the whole electro-magna thing? Usually he is pretty excitable, why wouldn't he be telling everyone about the dynamite?

And where's Eko?

IS IT REALLY EVEN CHARLIE????

Well, he did just walk away from a huge explosion. Anybody would act a little dazed after being exposed to something like that. So I agree that he was acting a little out of it. But like I said, he was literally in an explosion.

Anyone else think he was acting weird before the hatch incident? E.G. Ep 23 minute 21 when he was talking to Locke?
Got me thinking that there might be a clone of him on the same island? Also how did he get back from the hatch that fast? Is it quite a way away?

I think Charlie's behavior (confusion and loss of recent memory) is consistent with someone who is suffering from a mild concussion. That would explain his odd behavior with Claire -- he is confused about what happened in the hatch and he doesn't remember much of it, and he genuinely doesn't know why Eko and Locke haven't returned.

Qapla'

SSB

Anyone else think he was acting weird before the hatch incident? E.G. Ep 23 minute 21 when he was talking to Locke?


Nothing weird about it. He is still mad at Locke and was talking 'snarky' to him. He liked the fact that he discovered Locke in a vulnerable position and exploited it. He was just being Charlie.

Nothing weird about it. He is still mad at Locke and was talking 'snarky' to him. He liked the fact that he discovered Locke in a vulnerable position and exploited it. He was just being Charlie.

Made you want to slap him. Anyway, I think the writers were desperate to get the kiss in for the shippers and in doing so made Charlie act as if nothing happened. Just think about it. If Charlie had been freaked out about Locke and Eko maybe being dead and the fact that the hatch just blew up then the stage could not be set up for the shipper kiss. It was extremely contrived and made for a terrible scene. This happens a lot on this show.:rolleyes:

Concussion. It's simple, plausible and fits the evidence -- and it doesn't require weirdness. Normally requires a blow to the head, but perhaps a powerful shock wave could cause one as well. Sometimes we think of alternative explanations that are a little too convoluted to be plausible.

"...they're not back yet" = Mr. Ecko is carrying Locke and so it is taking longer than anticipated back to the beach. Locke now can not walk.

"...they're not back yet" = Mr. Ecko is carrying Locke and so it is taking longer than anticipated back to the beach. Locke now can not walk.

Now that's a neat idea. Could be what he was referring to. I like that.

Made you want to slap him. Anyway, I think the writers were desperate to get the kiss in for the shippers and in doing so made Charlie act as if nothing happened. Just think about it. If Charlie had been freaked out about Locke and Eko maybe being dead and the fact that the hatch just blew up then the stage could not be set up for the shipper kiss. It was extremely contrived and made for a terrible scene. This happens a lot on this show.:rolleyes:

Completely and totally disagree. I think the writers were making a parallel ( said this on another thread). But the scene with Charlie and Claire was very similiar to the scene last year they had in the finale. When Claire asked Charlie about what had happened it was just like last year when she asked him what Jack was doing and he said probably going to do something heroic. She had got on to him for always making jokes. He's doing the same thing in this scene and she tells him she wants him to be serious.The difference -- her focus this season is Charlie -- last season it was Aaron.

Other parallels:

Last season
Boat scenes(Walt,Michael,Sawyer,Jin)
Trek scene(Sayid and Charlie go to rescue Aaron)
Hatch scene(Locke,Jack,Kate, and Hurley blow the hatch)


This season
Boat scene(Sayid,Sun,Jin) and (Walt and Michael once again trying to get home on a boat -- last year it was the raft)
Trek scene(Jack,Sawyer,Kate,Hurley,Michael going to rescue Walt)
Hatch scene(Eko tries to blow open the lockdown doors in the hatch)

The finale -- everything about it was parallel to last season just with different twists. I think that the Charlie/Claire scene was important to the whole theme of what the writers are doing -- it had nothing to do with pleasing the shippers. Besides we can't say that every time a couple share a kiss on the screen it's just the writers trying to please the shippers. Being isolated on an island like that -- people are going to hook up at some point.

By the end of the finale i couln't help but feel a little dissapointed. Im fine with the answers to all the questions coming as and when they are given.

The part i could'nt understand and was doing my head in was just before the end when Chalie comes out of the jungle. After everything that had just happened to him in the hatch, and Claire had told him Ecko, Locke and Desmond had'nt come back he just stood looking at her grinning like the cheshire cat.

I can understand he has feelings for Claire but it just seemed so innapropriate at the time. Then later on he's sat on the beach cracking jokes and examining his fresh cuts like he has'nt got a care in the world. Like nothings happened. "There was a bright light in the sky" "was there?" Oh ho ho ho how we all laughed. Ok he wasnt there to hear about what happens if the button is'nt pushed, and porbably would'nt have been able to hear anyway, but come on the place was shaking and sharp objects were flying across the room.Its even dark when he's sat on the beach with Claire!!!!!! And he's still not concerned in the slightest.It felt like it had been stuck in at the end as an afterthought and just to restart the Charlie/Claire thing going into season 3. Fair enough but.......

Im having an argument with the misses about this as im writing. She says she did'nt like the episode much either but they wanted to keep the "What happened to Desmond, Locke and Ecko?" thing a cliffhanger for season 3. And i agree. But surely Charlie would want to go back and check on them at least? They can still leave it as a cliffhanger from that. Have Charlie going back into the jungle and Claire saying be careful and stroking his hair letting him know he's forgiven and off he goes into the jungle. Then leave it there as a cliffhanger. Whats wrong with that? Certainly no worse than what we got.

Im sorry to go on about a little part of the show but it really ruined the finale for me. Literally cos i missed the end going on about what the hell is Charlie doing. I hope there is a reason for his weird behavior or they create pne after realising they dropped a bollock.

Ive been defending this show all season to my friends. Seeing their point about too many episodes being weak but urging them to stick with it cos the finale will be the best. I feel robbed.

It felt like they tried to cram too much in in the end. They need to be careful cos not everyone can be bothered to try and keep up with a show that has so many layers. It is ratings that mean everything at the end of the day. They may not get to tell the whole story as they want too if they lose too many viewers and ABC cut the funding. They need to keep the whole spectrum of their audience in mind. This seasons DVD will need to come with an instruction manual theres so many questions and half answers. Im sure they want us all pouring over the finale during the season break looking for clues thats maybe why it felt abit uneven.

As i said at the beggining i dont want all the answers but if we cant even understand the questions what's the point. Throwing Charlie being weird into the mix at the end just made me snap,

Lets hope season 3 restores my faith in this show.

Namaste.
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Completely and totally disagree. I think the writers were making a parallel ( said this on another thread). But the scene with Charlie and Claire was very similiar to the scene last year they had in the finale. When Claire asked Charlie about what had happened it was just like last year when she asked him what Jack was doing and he said probably going to do something heroic. She had got on to him for always making jokes. He's doing the same thing in this scene and she tells him she wants him to be serious.The difference -- her focus this season is Charlie -- last season it was Aaron.

Other parallels:

Last season
Boat scenes(Walt,Michael,Sawyer,Jin)
Trek scene(Sayid and Charlie go to rescue Aaron)
Hatch scene(Locke,Jack,Kate, and Hurley blow the hatch)


This season
Boat scene(Sayid,Sun,Jin) and (Walt and Michael once again trying to get home on a boat -- last year it was the raft)
Trek scene(Jack,Sawyer,Kate,Hurley,Michael going to rescue Walt)
Hatch scene(Eko tries to blow open the lockdown doors in the hatch)

The finale -- everything about it was parallel to last season just with different twists. I think that the Charlie/Claire scene was important to the whole theme of what the writers are doing -- it had nothing to do with pleasing the shippers. Besides we can't say that every time a couple share a kiss on the screen it's just the writers trying to please the shippers. Being isolated on an island like that -- people are going to hook up at some point.

I see what your saying but it just did'nt feel right. And backs up my point that it felt like they just through it in for some reason and your reason would fit well. But it does'nt make it good. It felt crap as we would say in Blighty.

One bit that really made me laugh tho was when Michael was driving off in the boat and Jack and Co. were there tied up. Michael looks at Jack through the window and i had vision's of him giving them a quick wave and a smile with a "see you later guys" "good luck" LOL.

Namaste.

I just think he's acting casual becasue he knows everything is fine. Nothing happened. The failsafe was not suicide, there was no explosion. Desmond reversed the electromagnet's polarity and it repelled the hatch door all the way to the beach. Other than a big noise which Charlie may not have heard as intensely, everything in the hatch stopped moving and nothing else happened. He's simply telling the truth. I won't speculate in the effects of exposure and his mental state until I see more evidence but what I've seen is explainable.

I'm going with this theory ......as in actual fact charlie was so different this last part of the epi that he was like the old charlie....see claire and smile.....cracking jokes....staring into Claires eyes....(it was actually great to see the old charlie back!)

He experienced a huge adrenaline rush of events (the ones he experienced he told claire about) and unless he is completely off his tree then the simplest explanation is that at the end he saw that everything was ok and Eko and Locke were heading back but detoured which we'll find out why next season.

i just don't get why he wouldn't wait for them to walk back. knives are flying off walls, white lights are blinding you, loud noises and explosions happening all around...and you just walk away. at a minimum i'd want to walk back with someone. i think what he saw - whatever it is - is BAD. very very very bad. and he's in some kind of major denial. i've had bad stuff happen to me and right after it occurs i'll do anything to pretend it didn't just happen...do anything to laugh about something, anything.

You know there is the possibility that Charlie and some of the others will go after Locke and Eko(and Desmond) in the morning(at the start of the season). My take on it was that it was late afternoon when Charlie returned to camp and in that little amount of time we have no idea how hurt or really affected he really is.I don't think that in his shape(and just because he didn't look so hurt doesn't meen he doesn't have a concussion as someone else has mentioned)that he would go back out at night to try and get Locke and crew. We don't know how damaged the hatch was -- no electriciy perhaps if the backup generator is down. Wouldn't be wise to go at night.

I think we have to keep in mind that the show may pick up almost right where it left off next season.Next morning -- Charlie realizes Locke and crew aren't back and returns to the hatch to check on them or they appear that morning because they were fine after everything that happened.

By the end of the finale i couln't help but feel a little dissapointed. Im fine with the answers to all the questions coming as and when they are given.

The part i could'nt understand and was doing my head in was just before the end when Chalie comes out of the jungle. After everything that had just happened to him in the hatch, and Claire had told him Ecko, Locke and Desmond had'nt come back he just stood looking at her grinning like the cheshire cat.

I can understand he has feelings for Claire but it just seemed so innapropriate at the time. Namaste.

Uh..you're not remembering it correctly. He came back to the beach...Benard asked him if he was alright and asked about Eko and Locke. Charlie seemed genuinely surprised and asked "They haven't made it back here yet? (paraphrase). He seemed to consider that for a moment and then he saw Claire. She didn't say anything.

The reason he's not concerned is because he knows they are ok. Eko was ok enough to shake Charlie off of him and walk into the room where Locke was. When Charlie saw them last they were still standing..and he survived the noise and bright light and probably assumed they had as well...AND they are big boys and can take care of themselves. They don't need Charlie to walk them home.

i just don't get why he wouldn't wait for them to walk back. knives are flying off walls, white lights are blinding you, loud noises and explosions happening all around...and you just walk away. at a minimum i'd want to walk back with someone. i think what he saw - whatever it is - is BAD. very very very bad. and he's in some kind of major denial. i've had bad stuff happen to me and right after it occurs i'll do anything to pretend it didn't just happen...do anything to laugh about something, anything.

That might be it exactly. A lot of Charlie fans have speculated that the reason he doesn't talk (or hasn't talked much) about the hanging incident is because he was trying to repress it.

Of course there is always the possibility that they told him to return to camp (while they tried to salvage some things or clean up) and he got disoriented because of the explosion he had experienced and got lost in the jungle for a while and thouhgt that when he finally made it back to camp that they would already be there.

The fact that he doesn't seem all that concerned to me says that either they are fine or he's messed up in the head some way(from a concussion,shock or affect from the EM charge or like you said he's repressing).

elf, then why would he say nothing happened? that's just odd. a lot just happened - at a minimum the button is gone, and the hatch is quite busted up. i know, i know - he's trying to protect claire from tmi. but you don't just get over something like that that quick...even if you know everything's alright. in fact i would think if he knew everything was alright, he'd be more likely to tell the whole story.

I agree Annuity. It felt just thrown in there. That really bothered me too and ruined the ending for me. I was thinking about how rediculous it was when the next scene came on and I couldn't concentrate. I actually thought the next scene with Pen was a commercial.
What I can't buy is that Claire would want him back after what he did just a week ago. It's too contrived. And her shooting up her baaaabeeee with an unknown substance. No way.

elf, then why would he say nothing happened? that's just odd. a lot just happened - at a minimum the button is gone, and the hatch is quite busted up. i know, i know - he's trying to protect claire from tmi. but you don't just get over something like that that quick...even if you know everything's alright. in fact i would think if he knew everything was alright, he'd be more likely to tell the whole story.

I wouldn't be surprised if Eko/Locke and Desmond asked him not to tell. They might want to acess the full extent of the damage, see what has been saved, take a hike to the Pearl station before everyone else is let in on what happened..

Or they may not want the rest of the group to know they acted like a bunch of spoiled children each trying to push their own agenda while playing with everyone else's lives. If you were Locke would you want people to know you almost let the hatch blow? If you were Eko would you want people to know you've been playing with dynamite? If you were Desmond would you want people to know you might have crashed the plane?

true, true. everything's possible, and those certainly seem like plausible ideas.

By the end of the finale i couln't help but feel a little dissapointed. Im fine with the answers to all the questions coming as and when they are given.

The part i could'nt understand and was doing my head in was just before the end when Chalie comes out of the jungle. After everything that had just happened to him in the hatch, and Claire had told him Ecko, Locke and Desmond had'nt come back he just stood looking at her grinning like the cheshire cat.


Im sorry to go on about a little part of the show but it really ruined the finale for me. Literally cos i missed the end going on about what the hell is Charlie doing. I hope there is a reason for his weird behavior or they create pne after realising they dropped a bollock.


Namaste.

The first thing I posted about this episode was this thread and exactly for the reasons you just pointed out. I too, am dissapointed in the ending simply because Charlie was acting in a way I find to be unbelievable and inconsistent with the rest of the show. I mean, are we suppose to go along with how other characters get all worked up when something so little happens, yet when its this huge deal, we have to go with "its just charlie being charlie"? VOMIT!!!! Save it for the godda** O.C.!!! If I wanted to watch kissing just for the sake of a reunited love connection, I could get my fill watching Brenda and Dylan hanging out at the Peach Pit sucking face.

I am just hoping there is another reason why Charlie was acting this way. I want sinister, I want clever...hell, I just want an answer!!!!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if Eko/Locke and Desmond asked him not to tell. They might want to acess the full extent of the damage, see what has been saved, take a hike to the Pearl station before everyone else is let in on what happened..

Or they may not want the rest of the group to know they acted like a bunch of spoiled children each trying to push their own agenda while playing with everyone else's lives. If you were Locke would you want people to know you almost let the hatch blow? If you were Eko would you want people to know you've been playing with dynamite? If you were Desmond would you want people to know you might have crashed the plane?

These are the same excuses you hear over and over for these instances where no one ever talks about what has just happened. We all know they never communicate with each other about events on the island. It's the staple of Lost. Claire never told Jack or anyone else about the medical hatch or what was done to her. She never asked Jack about the drug she's giving her baabee. I could list hundreds of instances where someone kept important information to themselves. Charlie's actions were predictable since every character does the same thing when they discover something. Unfortunately, it is ruining the show for me. I probably won't be watching season 3.

Anyone notice how strangely Charlie was acting after the whole electro-magna thing? Usually he is pretty excitable, why wouldn't he be telling everyone about the dynamite?

And where's Eko?

IS IT REALLY EVEN CHARLIE????

I wondered the same thing ...NOT ONE WORD about what happened down there....and he didn't even mention to anyone to go look for Locke and Eko in case they did survive...

What did he do that was so different? I'm sorry but I'm just not seeing him doing anything out of character. During the first episode of this season he had just gotten back from helping Sayid rescue Aaron, had rocks fall on his head, got set on fire, and yet after all that he was sitting by the fire laughing and cracking jokes with Claire...almost in exactly the same manner he was doing in the season finale. He didn't talk about his exploits or 'what happened'. Claire even mentioned that he joked when he was trying to be serious. He was acting the same way he always did.

Now Claire giving him a kiss right there right then might be cause for debate but its something SHE did...not Charlie and that would be more in line with a Claire discussion.

What did he do that was so different? I'm sorry but I'm just not seeing him doing anything out of character. During the first episode of this season he had just gotten back from helping Sayid rescue Aaron, had rocks fall on his head, got set on fire, and yet after all that he was sitting by the fire laughing and cracking jokes with Claire...almost in exactly the same manner he was doing in the season finale. He didn't talk about his exploits or 'what happened'. Claire even mentioned that he joked when he was trying to be serious. He was acting the same way he always did.

Now Claire giving him a kiss right there right then might be cause for debate but its something SHE did...not Charlie and that would be more in line with a Claire discussion.

He's not out of character it's just that he is doing what they all do repeatedly. Every time someone discovers something or something crazy happens such as what happened in the hatch no one talks about it. They act as if it never happened. I'm personally sick of it and sticking another contrived scene in there at the end of the season finale just to appease the shippers sucked big time.:rolleyes:

That last scene with Charlie and Claire sent shivers up my spine. He was so blatantly glib in his reactions to Claire's questions, and didn't seem the least bit concerned about anything but making time with Claire. I mean, there was an explosion AND a magnetic event which could have at the very least injured up to three people. But he's acting like he just came back from a stroll in the park. That scene showed an evil side of Charlie, reminiscent of when it was exposed that he attacked Sun.

i thought he was acting weird starting back when he was non-chalantly telling Claire to shoot up her baby with a mystery vaccine...

I think that Charlie got blown away by the big white blast, flew off into the jungle, was unconsious, and when he woke up, doesn't remember what finally happened. He walks to the beach and learns about the big pulse for the first time.
Maybe.
I don't really know!

Charlie acting weird? Charlie IS weird. :biggrin:

I think part of it is still shell shock from suffering a concussive blast from the dynamite. However, something happened at that hatch that we aren't privy to yet. I bet something very important occurred that will clear up Charlie's nonchalant attitude. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I completely agree. Something is going on. Something I've learned about TV shows and movies... if someone is acting strange, there is a good reason for it. It's the same way, that if someone coughs in a movie or on a TV show, they have some rare or deadly disease. There is no other reason for them to cough, because if they did it during a take, the director would make them redo it.

Something either happened to Charlie, or he saw something that we will have to find out about. There is no way it is just Charlie being Charlie. People don't just ignore dynamite blowing up in their face and washing machines flying at them because of some magnetic anomaly unless they are scared as hell or they don't want other people to know what's going on, whether it's in real life or on some TV show... Something is definitely up.

My vote is for charlie being sinister.

I beleive he thinks they are dead and he is happy about it. I think he now feels there is nothing to get in the way of him and Claire.

Locke and him havnt been best buds lately, at one time they were quite close. Charlie hasnt liked locke since he felt locke was keeping clair away from him, and he was clearly upset with ecko for giving up on the church project with him.

He was pretty mean to locke when he found him crying....and he was very eager to get the explosives for ecko.....yeah he tried to talk him out of it.....but was that just for show.

I thought he was also strange when he gave claire the medicine.

At the end when he was with claire he seemed quitely overjoyed...not at all phased by what had just occured.

Bring on evil Charlie!

That last scene with Charlie and Claire sent shivers up my spine. He was so blatantly glib in his reactions to Claire's questions, and didn't seem the least bit concerned about anything but making time with Claire. I mean, there was an explosion AND a magnetic event which could have at the very least injured up to three people. But he's acting like he just came back from a stroll in the park. That scene showed an evil side of Charlie, reminiscent of when it was exposed that he attacked Sun.
Warning Locke about the dynamite, not listening to Eko when he told him to leave, helping Eko out of the hatch, risking his life for someone he barely knew, was IMHO rather heroic. He's acting like nothing happened because I believe nothing happened - Eko, Locke and Desmond are all alive and well. They didn't make it back to camp because it wouldn't be such a cliffhanger if they did.

He was pretty mean to locke when he found him crying....and he was very eager to get the explosives for ecko.....yeah he tried to talk him out of it.....but was that just for show. He was eager to get the dynamite because he thought everyone's life was in danger. As for trying to warn Locke - that was just for show to whom? If he didn't care or was such a bad guy, he would have left before Eko blew up the dynamite. But he stayed and insisted on warning John about the dynamite, risking his life (for which Locke couldn't care less, btw).

How is that sinister? I really don't understand all the Charlie is Evil discussions. What he did to Sun was bad but it's child play compare to what Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Locke, Eko, Ana-Lucia and Michael did.

Ok, charlie did what i would do after such an event after all.

His mentors, who both deserted him, are now fighting eachother out, doing extremly stupid things envolving dynamite, highjacking hatches, fighting, and teambuilding with alcoholics.

After they battled it out, not listening to charlies logical reasoning almost killing eachother and him aswell. He just figured. Screw it, ill go kiss a girl now.

Everyone of us would have done the same, when the sane mentors goes loony, and cant be resond with... leave them the heck alone.

Charlie is free atlast, so now he will die in some bad way.

R.I.P Charlie next season

I just watched the episode again last night (you're up earlier than me lune!) and each time Charlie's behaviour makes more sense to me. I think he was being silly with Claire because he was being defensive. He seemed confused when she took his hand at the funeral, they were awkward when they spoke the first time over the vaccine, Charlie doesn't know if Claire has forgiven him yet. I think he was confused by her show of concern for him. He wasn't expecting her to care. He's still holding back with her.

He's joking about flying forks and she says, "Charlie, I'm serious" and he looks at her like for the first time and says "nothing happened" in a way that suggests "I'm okay. Why do you sound like you actually care?" I'm guessing after the kiss and it cut away he then told her a whole lot more.

Don't forget we learned that Charlie knew where the dynamite was from Hurley. Hurley told him all about the Black Rock, Arzt and where the extra sticks were. Lots of conversations this season happen off camera. We were only witness to the part where Claire lets Charlie know she was worried about him and he's taken aback by it.

If Charlie's attitude and conversation with Claire were meant by the writers to convey that everyone is alive and uninjured back at the hatch (the excuse I keep reading for Charlie's behavior), then I guess I need not waste a second this summer worrying about whether Locke, Ecko, or Des are hurt or dead, right? I must have been confused thinking that the fate of those three characters was part of the cliffhanger ending. Of course, if that's the case, the writers could have shown us those three gentlemen cleaning up the hatch and saying, "man, that was a close call."

If the fate of Locke, Ekko, and Des was intended to be a cliffhanger ending, then Charlie's behavior was *supposed* to be questionable to say the least, right? If not, then there was some very bad writing or some very bad acting going on in that scene. I'm going to guess that the writers are pretty good, that the scene was well thought out, and that Dom is a pretty darn good actor too.

Glad the writers put that Charlie scene in there to ease our minds for this summer. :)

[quote=elfdream;1013571]I didn't see anything weird about it. He was acting and reacting the way Charlie always does.


I know I've said it before Elf but I agree with both you and Pace (btw I couldn't be bothered reading through the whole thread) I don't know why everyone is making such a big deal about this. I don't see anything sinister about what Charlie did he was in shock and anyway neither Eko or Locke could give a hoot about what happened to Charlie so what does it really matter? But I still don't think he was being sinister or whatever he was just in chock and probably didn't want to face what had happened or something. Seriously

I think his 'supposed attitude' is based off of the fact that he doesn't know how the guys in the hatch made out. When he last saw them, the WALL was sucking things to it, and Eko stopped Charlie from rescuing him. Who knows what happened to them? But if Claire was almost killed by the hatch door, you can guarantee, that the outcome of the situation is not going to be very pretty.

I, personally, think it was a great idea for a cliffhanger - WE'RE thinking/talking about it! I believe the answers for Charlie's behaviour will come right away in S3. Although, I have enjoyed everyone's ideas on possible reasons why he WAS acting that way. His behaviour really stuck out to me, too. My take is he's just disoriented... But I love the suspense of waiting to find out WHAT REALLY HAPPENED!

I did like the scenario elfdream posed a few pages back:

I foresee a scenario where J/K/S are gone, Sayid/Jin/Sun are gone...Eko/Locke/Desmond are out of commission and it will be up to the young folks..Charlie, Claire and Hurley to 'lead' the group. I think it will be good for them...and they will surprise us and rise to the occaison...but then I've always been an optimist. :D

Or, MAYBE, the other losties (you know, the other people who survived the plane crash but we never see -or can't remember their names:cool: ) might actually come into play. If all the main characters survived for *some reason*, wouldn't it make sense to say they ALL survived for some reason? Maybe we'll actually meet one or two of them who do not die or turn out to be evil, and who actually help out with all the major, mysterious goings-on!
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If all the main characters survived for *some reason*, wouldn't it make sense to say they ALL survived for some reason? Maybe we'll actually meet one or two of them who do not die or turn out to be evil, and who actually help out with all the major, mysterious goings-on!

We don't know that the survivors survived for some reason. In fact, this episode seemed to shoot down that theory and suggests that the plane was brought down entirely by accident. (Desmond: "Oops"). That would mean that they weren't brought there for a reason and that the ones who survived were just lucky.

...each time Charlie's behaviour makes more sense to me. I think he was being silly with Claire because he was being defensive.

He's joking about flying forks and she says, "Charlie, I'm serious" and he looks at her like for the first time and says "nothing happened" in a way that suggests "I'm okay. Why do you sound like you actually care?"

I agree. We know Charlie is prone to sarcasm-after all, he hasn't been taken seriously very often on the island. Think of when Hurley tried to tell him he was worth millions of dollars-Charlie just scoffed at him because he is extremely sarcastic so he doesn't take anyone else seriously either. I think his response to Claire was sarcastic (You want me to tell you about the fireball....?) because like Pacejunkie said, he's not sure if Claire is even asking out of concern or not so he's a bit cautious and defensive. It seemed to me she gave him that look of "C'mon, be serious" and even said as much in response to what Charlie said happened so she obviously has her doubts and he is defending himself by acting nonchalant once she brushes off what really happened. I also wonder if perhaps he is defensive because he doesn't want to be shown in a bad light to Claire again. She would probably not want her bayyyybee to be in close contact to a man who just aided in blowing up the only real shelter the Losties have. He doesn't want to risk losing Claire and Aaron again so better to play it off. Seems kinda logical and Charlie-like to me.

The answer is in the following dialogue.

Claire: What happened out there Charlie?
Charlie: Do you want to hear the part about me nearly being killed by the flaming fireball, or the flying fork?
Claire: I want you to be serious.
[Pause]
Charlie: Nothing happened.

To me, this scene is directly related to the one where Charlie first ticked off Claire by trying to take Aaron and baptize him. Claire was starting to fall for Charlie, but she was scared by his seemingly irrational behavior and wild stories.

I think Charlie is lying to Claire so she doesn't think he's back to being the dangerous nut who almost drowned her baby. He's trying to play it cool so she'll trust him again.

I was going to point out, for those who claim that Charlie didn't say anything about what happened, that he did mention the exploding dynamite ("the flaming fireball) and, in a roundabout way, the magnet going bananas ("the flying fork"). Some time has passed since the previous scene (daylight then, dark afterward) where he came out of the jungle and seemed puzzled that Eko and Locke weren't back yet (and in rewatching that scene last night I detect no hint of subterfuge in his reply to Bernard). I still say he is presenting CLASSIC signs of having suffered a mild concussion. He seems confused and a bit dazed when he walks out of the jungle, and he appears to barely notice the other people around him until Bernard accosts him. Later, at least, he remembers the magnet going crazy and the dynamite going off, but I'm guessing he doesn't remember the electromagnetic pulse. It's possible some of his memory is returning at that point. He seems to just notice the wound on his arm during the scene with Claire, and he appears easily distracted and seems to find humor in things that aren't funny -- Claire talked of the sky turning "that funny violet color," but it's possible Charlie didn't see that if he wasn't out of the hatch at that point. When he asks Claire, "Did it?" she reacts as if he's joking, and he takes the cue from her that this is funny for some reason, a reason he may not even comprehend. All of these behaviors are consistent with a concussion. You might think that remembering the things he does would make him remember that Eko, Locke and Desmond might be in danger, but a person with a concussion might well not make that mental connection for a while.

It is useful to look for alternative explanations for things on Lost, because things are often not what they seem, but it doesn't follow that everything must have a convoluted, somewhat sinister explanation. I mean, when I see Sayid drinking a bottle of water, I think he's drinking the water. I don't conclude that the water bottle with the Dharma logo is actually alive and that it attacked Sayid and is forcing itself down his throat!

If the producers always tried to do the unexpected with every little thing, it isn't really the unexpected anymore. And other than the Bad Twin book (which features a set of apparently natural identical twins), Lost has given us no reason to believe that anyone has been "doubled," nor has it presented a hint of anyone being possessed or otherwise in the grip of some sort of mind control. No one on the show is all evil nor all good. No one has turned to eee-vil, although Charlie came closer than most anyone except Michael. But Charlie didn't do that because he's "turned bad" -- he did it because he was hurt. He's done some feeling sorry for himself, and it is hard to blame him entirely. Charlie does come across as spiteful to Locke earlier in the episode, but his behavior in the hatch seems genuine to me (warning Locke and trying to help Eko).

I think The Pearl scenario is a stroke of genius. If anything was ever legitimately being studied there, it is the interpretations of those doing the observing. Similarly, one of the more fascinating things for me about reading these threads is seeing what other people read into what they see on the show. But sometimes, what some read into things disturbs me a bit.

Qapla'

SSB

I've been thinking about the part where Charlie replies, "They're not back yet?" and the more I think about it and watch it, I think its possible he was talking about Jack Kate etc. Right before he was asked the question he said something about his ears. I think it's possible that he didn't hear him right.

I agree with Experiment 626 and the amnesia theory. Of course amnesia has been overused on this show, but if it's ever plausible it would be now, when Charlie clearly has a concussion. I once had an amnesia episode myself (after I fell off a horse)--Charlie's behavior looked very familiar. And what he's starting to remember, he's blocking, because it's so frightening and strange. Charlie is seeking the familiar and comforting as he tries to get his bearings back.

Wow. I just had an enjoyable read. jlmcmillan1, Barrister and Experiment 626, thanks for all your insights! Well done. If people with experience say Charlie is acting odd due to a concussion, then I find that very plausible. Watching the scene in slo-motion, when Charlie wakes up he grabs his head and basically looks like he wants to throw up. Based on the counter readings before the blast and when he wakes up it looks like he was unconscious for almost half an hour which is a long time. He had to have a concussion from the blast or impact.

I also agree with the comments about what's going on between Charlie and Claire and how Charlie is both trying to cover for his injury and protect himself from being hurt by her again. The trust comment and wanting to earn it back by not sounding like a loon I think was very likely.

attack of the charlie clones

I also hold out for the possibility that we don't see what happened after the noise and the bright light (and Charlie would not have heard the noise to the same extent everyone else did...wonder if that will come into play later?) that its entirely possible that Locke/Eko and Desmond if they are still alive and ASKED him not to say anything and he agreed. Would you want someone to know that you were playing with dynamite? That you refused to push the button and the world nearly ended (exaggeration of course) or that you might have crashed their plane? That all three of you together were the reason the bunker which was sort of a refuge and a place to lock up bad guys and where you could listen to music, find reading material and wash your clothes, take a shower is now a freakin mess? That two of you who were once people that everyone looked up to and respected lost it completely and started acting irrationally? (Yes..to THEM they were being rational. Locke wanted to be 'free' of the button and Eko wanted to 'save' everyone) but to someone on the outside looking in it would look like they destroyed the bunker because they were acting like a bunch of spoiled kids.

And yes, I could see Charlie agreeing to it in order to have something to hold over their heads.

Now another thing I noticed. When Charlie came stumbling out of the jungle and people Benard asked if he was ok..why did they ask him where Locke and Eko were? Did anyone know that they were with him? Someone might have seen him leave the beach with Eko...but apart from that..why ask Charlie? For all they know he might have been standing in the jungle just out of sight and just stumbled over to join the rest of them.

The fact that he mentioned the fireball and the flying fork tells me that Charlie told Claire some of what happened. She was pressing from more information. He of course doesn't know 'everything' that happened. He doesn't know about the conversation between Eko and Desmond. I don't know how much he knows of what actually caused the bunker meltdown. He may not have been outside to see the light and he may not have 'heard' the noise and we don't know if he was told about the 'fail safe...so to him it might well be that 'nothing happened.

We just don't know...and judging from his behavior in trying to get everyone to listen to reason and talk things out...even if I weren't a Charlie supporter I would have to say that for the most part he's the good guy in this particular episode.

And for the 999 time CHARLIE DID NOT TRY TO DROWN THE BABY! He just wanted it baptized. That's what he told Claire..that is what he told everyone. The audience knows it. He was up front about what he wanted and after the baby was baptized he left him alone..even after Locke wandered off from Claire's side. You can call him a babynapper if you will but we all know (and I suppose Claire always knew deep down) that he would never hurt that baby.

And for the 999 time CHARLIE DID NOT TRY TO DROWN THE BABY! He just wanted it baptized. That's what he told Claire..that is what he told everyone. The audience knows it. He was up front about what he wanted and after the baby was baptized he left him alone..even after Locke wandered off from Claire's side. You can call him a babynapper if you will but we all know (and I suppose Claire always knew deep down) that he would never hurt that baby.
Just quoting you elfdream, in the hope that one or two astute individuals like yourself will read it and realize that CHARLIE DID NOT TRY TO DROWN THE BABY!
The audience was well aware of it and if they missed it, they should go back and watch.
Charlie, like almost all the Losties has done some "very bad things" but he is NOT eeeeevil!