Season 3, Episode 3: "Further Instructions"

The title of this episode is FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. This refers to when Locke went into the "sweat shack" and induced himself with drugs so the island could give him further instructions about what he was supposed to do.

DEJA VU
The opening sequence of this episode is very similar to the first shot we see of Locke in the Pilot episode. He is lying in the grass, unsure of where he is. The camera is over him and slowly pans out from above and we see his whereabouts. In the Pilot episode, Locke wiggles his toes which is the first time he realizes he is no longer paralyzed. However in this episode he grabs his throat, and instead of GAINING something, he realizes he has lost the ability to speak. Very interesting that the opening sequence has this sort of "deja vu" for something we have seen before with Locke, and then the episode ends with Hurley's comment about having deja vu.


SWEAT SHACK
Locke enlists Charlie to help him (when typically Locke is the one helping Charlie) - as he needs to "speak" to the island. He makes a sweat shack and gives himself some sort of drug to help "induce" these visions (remember he did the same thing with Boone when he had the vision about Shannon dying). This was strange to see Locke taking drugs because we think of him as such an honest, straight-laced guy. Little do we know about him. Anyway, during this "vision" he sees Boone, who tells him that someone on the island needs his help. Locke goes on to see all the other survivors in a vision from the airport. We see Henry Gale (Ben) as the security checker, bringing Kate, Jack and Sawyer through the security gate. We see Desmond as a pilot, Hurley as an Oceanic ticket attendant punching the numbers into the computer, and we see Sun, Jin, and Sayid waiting in line. Then we see Boone again all bloodied and ghost-like, just before Locke is thrown out of the tent with the vision of a fierce animal snapping at him. This is the point where Locke is able to speak again. He finally knows what he has to do. The question, however, is that all the other times when Locke had a "vision" or the island told him what to do, he ended up being wrong. How do we know this is the real thing?

POLAR BEARS
We finally see the polar bear again. We first saw one in the Pilot episode, and then it was not mentioned again until last week when the Others tell Sawyer that they used to keep the bears in the cage where Sawyer and Kate are now being kept. Why are they not kept in the cages anymore? Did the Others let them go, or did they escape? It appears that the bears have killed many people, from all of the skeleton bones that we see in his cave. We also see a bag or an item of clothing with the Dharma-logo. This would imply that the bear killed some of the Dharma members. We also see a child's toy truck, which suggests that children were in there. Were these the children that were taken by the Others??



YOU'RE A HUNTER, JOHN
Through Locke's flashbacks, we find out that he was living on a commune, prior to his paralysis, and that he was involved in a pot-growing scheme. He picked up a hitchhiker and brought him to live there, little did he know it was actually a cop who targeted him so he could bust them. Once again, Locke was "conned." This is not the first time he has been used because people know they can get him (his father conned him into giving him a kidney, Henry Gale used him in the hatch by getting him to go against Jack). It seems that John has always wanted to be the Hunter, the man in charge, but he just does not have it in him. When he finally realizes that Eddie is a cop, he has the opportunity to shoot him, but backs down. Eddie tells him, "you're a good man." Also remember the leaders of his commune commented that "John is a special man." - both of these are quotes that we have heard many times before. It seems that in his previous life, John WANTED to be a hunter but didn't have it in him. However, on the island he has become the hunter that he always wanted to be. He feels it was FATE that brought him there, allowed him to walk again, and he is supposed to be a hunter. Eko even tells him in his "vision" - you're a hunter, John. He feels like this is what he is supposed to be doing, and it is up to him now to get Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Notice also, that now that Jack is gone, Locke is finally able to step up and take charge (whereas they had that power struggle between them last season) - but Locke is finally able to take charge. At his "speech" at the end, everyone listens to him and trusts in him. This is also when Hurley realizes that Desmond had already spoken of this speech before.

ANOTHER ROUND OF DEJA VU
Desmond tells Hurley in the jungle that Locke is going to rescue them, because "he said so in his speech." What speech? Desmond seems confused, like he doesn't know himself that he was "predicting" something. Perhaps the implosion of the hatch caused some kind of psychedelic powers allowing him to see the future? Maybe this was the "incident" that happened in the hatch years ago, causing others on the island to gain this same psychic ability (hence why the Others have kidnapped them).