Season 2, Episode 3: "Orientation"

WOW! So we found out a LOT of new information in this episode........

The Dharma Film (titled “Orientation):
- We learn that the hatch is a station (station 3: the swan) that is there as part of an experiment by the Dharma Initiative. (remember, last week - how I wrote about the meaning of DHARMA) - Okay, so the doctor on the film explained that there are six "stations" - and that this one is there to monitor the electromagnetic field on "this part of the island" - He also mentioned that they do testing on other types of psychotherapy, zoo-ology (POLAR BEARS) - so that explains where they came from - and other forms of psychological experiments. My theory is that these other "stations" are also on the same island, and each station is responsible for monitoring a different part of the experiment. For example, the hatch is for the magnetic fields, there could be another one that does the polar bears, etc. A couple things I noticed about the video...it cuts out from time to time, obviously because it is very old (the copyright said 1980) but it cut out a very important part. The doctor said "don't use the computers to..." and then it skips. I think there is something important there that will show us that something very dangerous could potentially happen if you misuse it.

- Another thing about the video is that the doctor mentioned that when they first started the Dharma Initiative, there was an "incident." However he did not mention what it was, just said that they formed these stations to monitor all of these different things. In fact, he really did not give that much information about how or why or what exactly they were doing. Like Jack said, it did seem very fishy and could very well just be a "Psychological" experiment to see if people will actually DO these things just because they are told they have to. He never actually says on the video what would happen if he didn't push the button, or that the world would end. In the video they did show some people blindfolded partaking in some kind of psychotherapy experiment, maybe this is actually the same kind of thing??

- Keeping in with that last idea, the book that Desmond tells them the video is behind is called "The Turn of the Screw." Interesting name. Apparently, this book is about a woman who starts seeing things and basically becomes paranoid about everything and eventually goes crazy. Also, the movie "The Others" was based on the book "The Turn of the Screw."

-As I said last week, I think that Lenny (Hurley's "friend" from the mental institution) was at one point in the hatch, and that is what caused him to go crazy. He was repeating the numbers (the code to the computer) over and over. Also, that could very well be where Hurley heard the joke from (what did one snowman say to the other) which is apparently the secret-code for Desmond to ask his "replacement" in the hatch. Hurley may actually (unknowingly) be the "replacement." It seems that the people who go into the hatch do it unknowingly. Desmond said his boat crashed there and this guy just brought him down into the hatch and told him what to do. Also, if Lenny was in fact there, it could have been the same thing (we know he was in a boat that was lost at sea, he could have crashed there as well) - Or, if this hatch/experiment is in fact REAL, maybe the "replacements" are in fact brought there by some weird electromagnetic force (boats/planes crash their not by chance, but for a reason).

- When Desmond is running through the jungle - where do you think he is running to? If he truly thought the world was going to end, why would he run on the island unless he thought he had someplace to go? I think that these other "stations" of the Dharma experiment are in fact elsewhere on the island, and that is where he was running to. They did say there were six (although, we don't know for sure if they are all on the island, or elsewhere around the world). But, it would be likely they are on the island, (where they
are doing the polar bear and other experiments) - maybe the "others" are part of the experiment as well? They could be part of the experiment that tests psychological things, where the people turn bad. Or maybe they "needed" Walt for their experiment and that's why they kidnapped him?

- As far as the "magnetic fields," okay we now know that the hatch is used for testing...Desmond said something about the wall having a strong magnetic field every time he walks by his "fillings hurt" - when Jack was there they key around his neck got pulled into it - also earlier last season when Locke and Boone were in the woods and Locke had a compass he said it was all messed up because the magnetic field of the island was all screwed up - we also know that magnetic fields have a healing effect (Locke being able to walk again) - and it could even be that the cause of the plane crash was due to the magnetic fields of the island "pulling" the plane down?

- We also find out some more insight into Locke's past. During these flashbacks, he was still not in the wheelchair (I thought for sure they were going to show us how he became paralyzed) - But we did find out who "Helen" was. Last season, when he is making plans for his walkabout, he is talking to Helen on the phone and asks her to go with him. However...I don't think this is the same Helen. The woman on the phone seemed more like a phone-sex type of person, she mentioned something about charging him for the phone call, and didn't seem at all interested in going on this trip with him or getting together with him. I think she may even said something like "you can call me whatever you want" when he asked to call her Helen. I think maybe the real Helen maybe dies (maybe they are in an accident and that's how he gets hurt) and in turn he is looking for a "replacement" for her in the phone-sex Helen, calling the woman by that name as a way to keep her memory alive.

- Ana Lucia - Woah!! This was definitely something I did NOT see coming! Apparently she is in cahoots with the captors that threw Jin, Michael and Sawyer into the cage. I still think (I said this last week) that those people are the survivors from the back of the plane (not the dreaded "others") and that they have become "infected" and gotten "sick" - they are on a different part of the island as the rest of them, this may be where people get "sick." I think it causes them to turn on one another and become agressive (remember, same thing happened to Danielle's "team" and she had to kill them all) - But these people were wearing more modern clothes and most likely are the people from the plane.