okay:

1) Jin speaking English will be a dream sequence. Clearly.

2) The button pushing is a pretty obvious metaphor for [arbitrary] religious observance. On that note, Locke's story isn't done yet. Tonight he displayed a turn toward faith/irrational hope, but we have yet to see him dedicate himself to it in a way that explains why he behaves the way that he does.

3) The raft survivors are total suckers for falling for Blue Crush girl's routine. I no longer think there are any survivors from the tail end of the plane.

4) The guy who plays Desmond is really fucking good. He pulled off the crazed look nicely, but his interaction with Jack in the forest shows he's capable of more. I think this guy's gonna be the series' breakout star -- not as a leading man, but as an omnipresent, Buscemi-esque character actor. Also: best recurring use of the word "brother" since Hulk Hogan.

5) The instructional film conveniently cuts out when the narrator is (presumably) about to explain why the number entry can't be automated. There's no good explanation for this. So if there is a *satisfying* one, it will be mystical in nature. The crazy karma engine theory lives! Also, I predict that some of the more dedicated blogs will turn up some hidden clues in the patchy audio from the film. There's probably some more backward-talk stuck in there.

I'm thinking the film itself doesn't cut out, rather the projector skipped at an inopportune time during that particular viewing. I bet Locke learned some important clues upon rewatching that Jack (and we viewers at home) won't know until some critical standoff moment.

And I don't think it's so clear that Jin speaking english will be a dream.

It may be a pain- and/or thirst-induced hallucination.

Duh.

And wasn't Sawyer, like, shot a few hours ago? Did he walk it off?

The instructional film conveniently cuts out when the narrator is (presumably) about to explain why the number entry can't be automated. There's no good explanation for this.

Sure there is, if the point is to make the "adherents" go through the motion. And while you might think that a reasonable person would object with the very terms you cite, never underestimate a person's ability to not know how to use a computer, especially in the company of scientists. Frankly, if you showed up at my house right now and told me to start entering numbers forever or my house would blow up, I'd probably believe it.

But not if Jeff said it. That guy can't win any Nobel prizes!

michelle rodriguez is definitely a survivor from the plane. she met jack in an airport bar a few hours before the flight as showed last season. unless it was ALL A SHAM.

i bet rose's husband will be on her end of the island as well.

ooooooohhh yeeeaah. Okay. So the others are the people from the back section?

unless it was ALL A SHAM

That was my initial idea. She never actually got on! But I could see something to how the others are the passengers in the tail and we're seeing the other side of human nature: the side that resorts to a ruthless, kill or be killed, animal based instinct in order to survive, as opposed to the calm, systematic approach by Jack & everyone else. Like in The Lord of The Flies, the hunters vs everyone else.

oh my god, i hope jin isn't speaking english in a dream/hallucinatory sequence, cause that does not bode well for being alive/safe. and he is so beautiful.

and i think the others could be an entirely separate group from the plane tail people. that'd set up a nice dynamic with the three groups. it'd be cool of the tail people and jack's people all teamed up to fight evil at the end of the season!

It would certainly appear that Ana Lucia is involved w/ The Others, but I don't think The Others are exclusively the survivors from the tail section (which blows my mind in and of itself - how the heck did those people survive that and happen to land on the exact same island?) b/c that crazy Frenchwoman's kid was taken by The Others and I'm assuming that happened well before the survivors showed b/c she's pretty, y'know, batshit at this point.

And Ethan was never on the plane at all.

grrr...i'm not liking this 108-minute crap. there better be a really good explanation for it, because psyche experiment is beating legit purpose 99-1 in my book right now.

My favorite moment of the show? The glimpse of a copy of Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman sitting on Desmond's bed in the hatch.

Kriston also spyed a copy of The Turn of the Screw while Locke was looking for the film. I'll leave you english majors to tell me what that might mean.

grrr...i'm not liking this 108-minute crap. there better be a really good explanation for it, because psyche experiment is beating legit purpose 99-1 in my book right now.

I donno... between the magnetism and the monster/mechanism, I think there's definitely something being kept in check by the entry of the numbers into the computer. I'm guessing it'll be some kind of apocalyptic event that transforms the layout of the island (volcano?) that'll be used for the season finale. Maybe not, though.

What were the other disciplines in the film again? Anyone remember? There were five research stations. I think they'll map to the plotlines pretty well:

electromagnetism - the numbers

psychology/parapsychology - australian pregnant girl and her psychic adviser

biology - polar bears. I can't remember whether biology was listed in the film, actually, but I know that the bears got a mention.

Anyone remember the other two?

When I get home tonight I might cut out the film and put it on the internet for further analysis.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is so totally Rose's husband.

There's not much out these on "Dharma Initiative", but, like the bagua symbol printed on all the food and sharks, it once again reinforces the weird Buddhist mysticism vibe of the hatch.

That film was filled with important stuff, though--I'm thinking the most important shot was of the shadowy figure filmed in the window who apparently bankrolled the whole thing.

Also important: the voice cuts off right before he says why the computer cannot be used for any other purpose.

Oh. Roses husband? I thought Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is somehow connected to the downed plane full o'drugs that killed Boone.

yeah, I donno about the husband theory. he didn't really seem like rose's type. also, wasn't her husband supposed to have some kind of medical problem? apart from falling out of a plane, I mean.

I'm new to the whole Lost thing... but I googled "Hanso" after seeing the orientation film part of this week's episode, and this website came up:
www.thehansofoundation.org

It's got the picture of the creepy financier guy shown in the orientation film, as well as a list of projects sponsored by "the Hanso Foundation." If you go to the "active projects" section, it has several links which bring up an access denied notice. There is also a hidden link at the bottom, however, that flashes "dharma initiative" and plays the orientation film... I haven't watched it yet... I'm about to. I suspect it might not be as messed up as the one on the show.