Maternity Leave was a pretty dense episode, even by Lost standards. Flashbacks, confessions, secrets, the bond of motherhood.

Here’s the list you all came to see:

1. Aaron & Alex

Does anyone else find it curious that these two characters have asexual or transexual names? Both could be a man or a woman. Just a random thought.

2. Hemingway & Dostoevsky

Locke gives Henry Gale The Brothers Karamozov and I’m pretty sure Sawyer was reading Hemingway. Also, I thought of the Locke as Hemingway/Jack as Dostoevsky the moment after Locke left Gale’s cell. Just last episode Locke was the one in favor of torture and suddenly he wants a long-term plan? Clearly his low self-esteem and jealousy(?) of Jack’s personality and demeanor is affecting him.

From WikiPedia, here’s a sliver about Dostoevsky’s work:

Essentially a writer of myth (and in this respect sometimes compared to Herman Melville), Dostoevsky has created an opus of immense vitality and almost hypnotic power characterized by the following traits: feverishly dramatized scenes (conclaves) where his characters are, frequently in scandalous and explosive atmosphere, passionately engaged in Socratic dialogues à la Russe; the quest for God, the problem of Evil and suffering of the innocents haunt the majority of his novels; characters fall into a few distinct categories: humble and self-effacing Christians (prince Myshkin, Sonya Marmeladova, Alyosha Karamazov), self-destructive nihilists (Svidrigailov, Smerdyakov, Stavrogin, the underground man), cynical debauchers (Fyodor Karamazov), rebellious intellectuals (Raskolnikov, Ivan Karamazov); also, his characters are driven by ideas rather than by ordinary biological or social imperatives.

Dostoevsky’s novels are compressed in time (many cover only a few days) and this enables the author to get rid of one of the dominant traits of realist prose, the corrosion of human life in the process of the time flux — his characters primarily embody spiritual values, and these are, by definition, timeless. Other obsessive themes include suicide, wounded pride, collapsed family values, spiritual regeneration through suffering (the most important motif), rejection of the West and affirmation of Russian Orthodoxy and Tsarism.

This sounds an awful lot like the narrative structure of Lost and certainly deals with some of the recurring themes. It’s also probably one of the most obvious connections to a work of literature that we’ve had in the series thus far.

Plus, good and dirty pool from Gale trying to get inside Locke’s head. I think it’s pretty much assumed that he’s an “Other”, but I’d love to be proved wrong just as well.

3. One group of “Others”

The gruff man without the beard, talking to Ethan in the hatch. The torn, tattered clothing and make-up. It seems pretty obvious to me that the “Others” want the “Lostaways” to believe that they lead a nomadic, primitive existence when in fact they utilize the Dharma Initiative facilities. I don’t know why they perpetrate that ruse, but they do.

And I dig the Dharma symbol with the caduceus. Note to Lost/ABC: if you won’t give us a Dharma Initiative t-shirt, let me sell my own!

4. The Airplane Mobile

First off, it’s creepy that the planes looked to be Oceanic Airlines planes. Also, what was the song that played? I’m pretty sure the music/lyrics hold some meaning (or a red herring).

5. Eko’s confession

Should have seen it coming. Good Catholic needs a “priest” (who want share his sins) and a confessional to lift the burden of sin.

Probably the most aggressive, interrogative(?) confession ever put to film. Eko may have cleansed his soul, but he also clearly scared Gale.

6. The bond of Motherhood

Claire finally (at least in my eyes) connects with Aaron on more than a superficial level and Rousseau finds someone to help her grieve the loss (and eventual return?) of Alex. Rousseau’s deathwish notwithstanding, I think Claire and Rousseau are just crazy enough to be two truly sane people.

Plus, you don’t fuck with a mother or her child. You just don’t.

The recurring theme of “sureness” and “certainty” makes me wonder also if Rousseau didn’t give Alex up after she killed her crew because of the sickness. Maybe she, like Claire, made a choice. Claire, against her own will (and because of Rousseau and Alex(?)) got to make the oppossite choice.

I’m all out for this week. I’m sure I missed a ton of stuff, but if the ramp up to May sweeps and the end of season 2 is as good as tonight, we’re in for a great ride.