Kate and Charlie go to get something from Sawyer (Claire's diary). He's reluctant. They argue. And he gives it to them. And that's all I'm going to say about this, since we've seen this, by my count, eighty-six times since the beginning of the series. Notable here: Charlie's horrified as Sawyer implies he's read the diary, and incensed as Sawyer pretends to read the references to Charlie ("has-been pop star" and "limey runt" are the choice bits). So Charlie and Sawyer engage in fisticuffs ("You hit like a ponce," Charlie tells Sawyer). And Kate, all disappointed in Sawyer, because he's USUALLY SO HELPFUL AND CONSIDERATE, says, "You didn't really read it, did you?" and Sawyer says he just hasn't gotten around to it yet, because, oh yeah, that's right, Sawyer's asshole routine is just an act and he's got a heart of gold, blah blah blah. Wouldn't it be nice if just once a character was looking for something, and Sawyer didn't have it? "You know, I had a metronome in my suitcase. Hopefully it's still there. Yep, here it is!"

Mercutio's now doing such a good job watching Walt that when Locke and Boone, God's Friggin' Gift to Humanity go strolling by, and Walt says he's going to get some water, and takes off, Mercutio only asks Walt to get some water for him too.

But before Walt catches up to them, Shannon intercepts Boone to ask if they're just going to keep coming back without any food. Boone, allegedly having let go of his Shannon-desire, doesn't say much. She wants to know what's going on, and he coldly points out that since she's been a "functioning bulimic" since junior high, he figured she'd be more than happy to drop a size or two. Shannon switches gears, and she apparently is now on board (pun intended) with Mercutio's raft project, and she's planning to help him. "Why don't you help me?" she says, in the way of pretty, pretty women everywhere who want something from a man befuddled by such prettiness (which is probably 90 percent of us. I myself started looking for tubing as soon as Shannon said she wanted help). Boone thinks about it for a moment, then just says "no thanks" and walks off, Shannon glaring after him.

Walt shows up by Locke's fire; Locke immediately tells him that Mercutio doesn't want them spending time together. "He's not the boss of me," says Walt. Locke doesn't point out that Mercutio is, in point of fact, the boss of Walt, but he does say, "But he's your father, and he cares about you, and you need to show him respect." He tells Walt not to come to him anymore. Just then, a furious Mercutio stomps up, yelling, "Dammit! What is wrong with you?" At first it sounds like he's yelling at Walt, but I think he's actually yelling at Locke. Locke tries the ridiculously lame excuse that he was just giving Walt a pencil to give to Mercutio, as a "peace offering," and we actually get a stupid close-up of the stupid pencil. Mercutio leans in really close to Locke and growls, "I catch you with my son again, I'll kill you." Locke ponders this and, I think wisely, decides not to keep pushing an angry father's buttons. He leaves. Shannon and Jack take this all in, as does Walt, who loudly calls his father a jerk. Mercutio argues that he's just looking out for Walt, and Walt complains that Mercutio doesn't care about him, and never did, and only came for him after his mom died. And when Walt tries the ol' "You ain't my father" routine, Mercutio's face gets really hard. "You want to hate me? You want to punish me for something I can't change? Fine. But you will listen to me." He throws Walt's comic book on the fire (bringing to my mind stories my dad would tell of his father throwing comic books in the furnace to settle sibling fights. To hear my dad tell it, my grandfather burned up hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of old comic books). The book's open to the picture of the giant polar bear, and Walt watches it burn for a moment before turning back to Mercutio, who says, "Now, you get over there, and you stay over there. Now!" ("There" being the caves' equivalent of Walt's room.) Walt does as he's told, and Mercutio stares at the burning comic book himself, and we go into flashback mode.