Previously, on Lost: No offical previously montage shown this time around, but go ahead and click the link to read the recap if you missed last week’s show. The most important thing to know is that the survivors are now divided between the beach and a cave that provides fresh water and shelter.
We open on Charlie Horse strumming his guitar seemingly peacefully, but his face tells a different story as he goes through the detox process from his heroin. Locke arrives and offers Charlie Horse to go take a walk with him. Charlie Horse tries to deny the offer, but Locke says that the fresh air will do Charlie Horse good and insists.
Back at the beach, Dr. Jack is looking at Kate’s mugshot again as Kate is right there watching Dr. Jack, but Dr. Jack just says that the mugshot was among his things that he needed to pick up before going back to the cave. Kate wants to know if Dr. Jack really isn’t staying on the beach, and Dr. Jack once again explains the reason why he’s going to the cave with the other half of the survivors. Kate turns it around on Dr. Jack, thinking that he’s mad at her, but Dr. Jack simply doesn’t understand why Kate won’t come with him. It’s only been eight days since the crash, and Kate still has a glimmer of hope on the outside, but Dr. Jack says that even though they both want to get off the island, they also both know that the chance of being rescued and taken off the island isn’t going to happen anytime soon. Kate reminds Dr. Jack about Sayid’s plan to find the signal on the island from the French woman, but Dr. Jack says that since it’s been running on a loop for sixteen years and no one’s come to save her, finding hope in that signal is useless. Kate has faith however, and Dr. Jack wishes he shared that faith…as Sawyer arrives to announce that he wishes he could share some other things with Kate. Nice. Sawyer heard that Dr. Jack was off to the cave and thought it best to claim his place on the beach before anyone else…hell, maybe someone could share it with him. Not as long as Dr. Jack is alive. Dr. Jack heads off for the cave as Sawyer waves goodbye and Kate watches thoughtfully. If the writers are building towards a Sawyer/Kate/Dr. Jack love triangle, this could be very interesting.
Back in the jungle, as Charlie Horse is walking with Locke supposedly, but he’s nowhere to be found as animal noises start, low growls building into snarls and then finally a very loud and long shriek that sends Charlie Horse running away from wherever the noise is coming from or just running in general, flailing his arms…
…as we’re thrown right into a flashback, with Charlie Horse in a confessional. He confesses to having sex with a girl that he didn’t know. Not only that, but right after that, he had sex with another girl, and after that, he watched them have sex with each other. The priest listens on in silence (perhaps shocked silence) as Charlie Horse tries to explain that his band Driveshaft has been getting a following, and with a following comes lots of temptations for lots of sex. The priest says that there are plenty of temptations in life, but choosing to act on them is your choice. Charlie Horse decides that he’s made his choice, then; he has to quit the band. As he walks out of confessional and grabs some holy water, he sees another band member sitting in one of the pews. Charlie Horse goes up to the band member and seems ready to tell him that he’s going to quit the band, but the band member (Liam) tells Charlie Horse that they’ve been signed. “You’re going to be a rock god.” Well, it’s time to expect relations from just about every girl you can imagine…
…back into the jungle and the shrieking continues as a boar rumbles towards Charlie Horse…right as a net drops down and traps the boar. Locke arrives and commends Charlie Horse on being such good bait, and Charlie Horse thinks that’s great and all; “now give me my bloody drugs.” Locke simply looks at Charlie Horse as they’re truly both…
LOST.
And now, a word from our sponsors…
We go right back into the jungle, as Charlie Horse repeats himself, but Locke says that if Charlie Horse needs his drugs so bad, why’d he give them to Locke in the first place? Charlie Horse says that he’s sick, but Locke thinks that he’s stronger than he knows, and Locke will prove it. Locke will allow Charlie Horse to ask for his drugs three times, and on the third time, Locke is going to give the heroin to him. Charlie Horse has already done it once, for the record. When asked why Locke would play such a game with a man going through withdrawl, why Locke wouldn’t just throw away the drugs and be done with it, Locke tells him because then, Charlie wouldn’t have a choice to make, and when you’re presented with a choice instead of making a decision on instinct, you separate yourself from the boar. Speaking of the boar, Locke turns around and immediately kills it as it gives off one last squeal, with Charlie Horse looking on disgusted.
Cut to an antennae as Sayid explains the plan to triangulate the signal. He says that Kate will be taking one into the jungle and another will be placed on high ground in addition to one that has been planted at the beach. The problems with the antennae are that the power cells may last for only about a minute. Boone asks when the others will know if they’re in position yet, and Sayid brings out bottle rockets from the luggage of a firework smuggler, telling Boone that when he’s in position, he’ll fire his bottle rocket, and back at the beach, the bottle rocket will be fired there as well. The other complication is that the transceiver is dead, and they need an extra battery to get it running again, otherwise it’s all for naught. Kate has an idea of where to find this battery…
…and goes over to Sawyer, as Kate can’t believe that Sawyer has been salvaging crap from the wreckage ever since the crash and yet he has no laptop? Sawyer notices that Kate is wound up a bit and asks if she’s still angry about Dr. Jack leaving for the cave. Kate changes the subject, saying that it must be hard for Sawyer to live like a parasite. Sawyer laughs that off, but Kate thinks that Sawyer doesn’t want off this island because there’s nothing to go back to: He doesn’t miss anybody, and nobody misses him. I think it’s about time for a Sawyer-centric episode, don’t you think? Sawyer asks if Kate feels sorry for him, but Kate merely pities Sawyer. Sawyer scoffs and then reaches into his bag of tricks, pulling out a battery and telling Kate that all she had to do was say “please”.
Back in the cave, as Charlie is strumming his guitar again while Hurley and Dr. Jack are carrying the remnants of stuff from the beach. Charlie offers his help carrying things since he was his own roadie way back in the day before Driveshaft had any. Charlie Horse goes to help, but Dr. Jack warns him too late that the zipper’s broken and it looks like he grabbed the suitcase full o’ legal drugs. Dr. Jack grabs Hurley to pick up the rest of the bags and Charlie Horse takes this as an opportunity to find drugs, any drugs, but Dr. Jack comes back and catches Charlie Horse in the act. Charlie tries to make an excuse and say that he was looking for some aspirin for a headache, but there’s no aspirin through the prescription drugs he was palming through. Dr. Jack asks if Charlie is okay, because he doesn’t look that way, but Charlie Horse insists once again that he just has a headache. Dr. Jack thinks he’s dehydrated and tries to get Charlie Horse to go get some water instead of trying to help Dr. Jack with the bags, he doesn’t need his help right now anyway. Charlie Horse accepts and grabs his guitar again, watching Dr. Jack as he goes into another flashback…
…as Liam tries to convince Charlie Horse to stay on with Driveshaft as they’re leaving the church. Charlie Horse only cares about the music, not the fame that will inevitably come with this record contract, but Liam turns it around saying that Charlie Horse is the songwriter, and if he doesn’t stay on with Driveshaft, then Liam will be screwed because he’s “just a clown with a pretty face that sings them.” Charlie Horse loves the band and everything, but it’s not who he is, he simply gets lost in it. Liam tells Charlie Horse that he’ll look out for him, since that’s what brothers are for, and Charlie Horse won’t have to worry about getting sucked into relations with 50,000 girls. Charlie Horse seems ready to accept this offer, finally, but he has one request: If things get too crazy, and he says that Driveshaft is done, then Driveshaft is done. Liam promises, because Charlie Horse is the rock god. Everybody’s happy…
…as we go over to the waterfall, where Jin is putting some water on his wrists to ease the pain from the handcuffs. Sun tells Jin to go to Dr. Jack and have him look at the wrist, but Jin says that it will heal. He then notices what Sun is wearing, and tells her to cover herself since it’s an indecent piece of clothing. Yeah, and it’s hot, baby! At least that’s what Sun says as an excuse for wearing it, but we all know that she’s just waiting for Michael to show up running towards her with arms wide open, looking for some lovin’.
Cut to Hurley who brings Charlie’s guitar over to Charlie Horse, interrupting Charlie Horse from telling another Driveshaft story and simply informing him that Dr. Jack wants it out of the way as they bring in supplies. Dr. Jack is in a part of the cave as Charlie Horse arrives, offended. He says that Dr. Jack treats him like a child, and doesn’t act like he’s important. Dr. Jack interrupts Charlie Horse’s raving and says that he has to take a look at Charlie Horse, but Charlie isn’t finished yet. Dr. Jack insists that Charlie is not acting like himself right now, but Charlie Horse says that Dr. Jack doesn’t know him, he’s a rock god! Rumbling finally makes the ultimate interruption of this conversation, as Charlie and Dr. Jack look around themselves and Hurley looks very worried. Jin and Sun look on as well as dust flies up from where I assume the collapse happened. Hurley runs up to Charlie Horse who’s hacking his lungs out and asks the whereabouts of Dr. Jack, who simply points back towards the rubble of the cave.
And now, a word from our sponsors…good start, and you just know that Driveshaft is going to reach a point where Charlie Horse will want it to stop since he’s having too many relations with girls, and Liam will want to keep going and it’ll just erupt in some sibling rivalry. Also, Dr. Jack being caught in the rubble is good stuff, because he’s supposed to be the hero and now others are forced to be the hero for him. Since Michael and Walt stayed behind on the beach, I’m not sure how they’ll go about with Jin/Sun besides the usual “Sun trying to rebel and be a hottie” line.
Hurley calls out Dr. Jack’s name and tries to find him in the rubble, as Charlie Horse explains that they were just talking and the cave came a tumbling down. Hurley tells Charlie Horse to go down to the beach and get some help. “And make sure you tell Kate!”
But Kate’s not at the beach, she’s with Sayid walking through the jungle. Kate asks Sayid about the odds of finding “this phantom distress signal”, and Sayid tells her that the odds are no worse than surviving the plane crash. Kate says that people survive plane crashes all the time. Sayid explains that when the tail section of an airplane breaks off and another section cartwheels through the jungle on a remote island, there’s usually very few, if any, survivors, let alone survivors with only a few scrapes. Kate writes that off as blind dumb luck, but Sayid insists that no one’s that lucky. Kate says that some things just happen.
Back at the beach, as we get a glimpse of Shannon wearing yet another hot dress (thank you, J.J., you know what I want from this episode 100%) as Charlie Horse rushes up and yells for help to get Jack out of the collapsed cave. Michael calls for Scott, pointing at him…but that guy’s name is Steve and Scott is behind him. Nice, the writers really like to poke fun at themselves for only focusing on a few survivors. Michael tells Scott and Steve to get a couple of guys and go into the cave, and before everyone runs off, Boone turns to Shannon and asks if she can handle doing the bottle rocket thing and switching on the antenna. Shannon plays dumb, but then tells Boone that she can do it. Oh, this is going to be bad.
Charlie Horse is about to run back into the cave when he remembers about Kate, and then calls out to the others that they have to tell Kate about Jack. But Sawyer’s there taking a shower and telling Charlie Horse that he just missed her, since she and “Muhammed” went into the jungle not too long ago. Charlie Horse asks which way they went, but Sawyer tells him not to worry, and that he’ll go tell her, advising Charlie Horse to keep doing…whatever he does. That pisses Charlie Horse off sooooooo much…he’s gotta have a flashback, man!
Cut to girls screaming as Driveshaft is playing on stage, focusing on Charlie and Liam as they sing the chorus of “You All, Everybody,” which actually has lyrics. Charlie Horse is looking at Liam as he sings the chorus, but manages to stick with the chorus. After the show as girls are screaming Liam’s name, Charlie asks Liam what the hell he was doing: Charlie Horse is the one who’s supposed to sing the chorus. Liam said that it felt like the crowd wanted it, but he promises that it won’t happen again as he tells the security to let a girl in and walks away from Charlie. Wow, talk about being the forgotten one in the group. Charlie Horse watches as Liam takes out some drugs and closes the door behind him, telling Charlie to chill out as Charlie looks comatose on the beach.
Back to the cave as everyone is rushing to get into the rubble and find Jack, but Michael runs up and tells everyone not to move, since he has eight years experience with construction work and he knows what to do. He suggests that they start digging at a certain place so that the wall doesn’t collapse in on itself, taking four at a time with shifts, going slow as the dig it out by hand until they can find some kind of shovel. Walt wants to find Mr. Locke, but he’s off in the jungle killing. Whoever isn’t working should be clearing out the rocks and giving water to those who are working. Boone starts clearing rocks.
Back in the jungle with Sayid and Kate, as Sawyer comes walking up. Kate wants to know what Sawyer is doing here, and Sawyer just says that he came to tell Kate something, but Kate cuts Sawyer off again and asks why she would be interested in anything that Sawyer has to say. Sawyer is offended, and instead of telling her that Jack is in the cave, he changes it to admitting that Kate was right, and that Sawyer has been a parasite on this island, and that he wants to change and help out now. Well, he could help out by replacing Shannon out on the beach, since she’s bound to screw things up beyond all recognition. Kate is surprised at Sawyer’s change of heart, and walks past Sawyer as Sawyer goes to keep up.
In another part of the jungle, Locke is cutting up some more victims of his ruthless killing as he peeks around a carcass to see Charlie Horse, looking worse than ever as he comes up to Locke and tells him about Dr. Jack being trapped in a cave-in, and there’s a bunch of people trying to get him out right now. Locke asks why Charlie isn’t with them, and then assumes that Charlie did not come over to Locke to tell him about Jack. Charlie asks for his drugs for the second time, since he can’t help feeling like crap. Locke tells Charlie Horse to follow him, showing him a cocoon and telling him that it’s a moth cocoon and not a butterfly. They spin silk, they’re faster and they’re stronger than butterflies, so it’s amazing how butterflies get all the credit. Charlie Horse wants to know what this has to do with his addiction and the withdrawl, but Locke interrupts him, saying that the moth is struggling through the thick hide of the cocoon, trying to get out. Locke could help it by opening the path just a little bit and allowing the moth to be free, but it would be too weak to survive. It’s not hard to see where Locke is going with this, as he gets to the point: Struggle is nature’s way of strengthening. Locke tells him to ask one more time for the drugs and they belong to Charlie Horse.
And now, a word from our sponsors…I love how Locke is the guy who is leading everyone on these spiritual journeys, whether it be Dr. Jack or Charlie. I’d like to see him give Sawyer a little dose of reality, it’d be good fun.
Back at the cave-in site, as Michael announces that they’ve got a hole. Hurley calls out for Jack, and then Jack groans and tells him that he’s pinned and he can’t move. Hurley wants to know how they’re going to deal with getting Jack out, but Michael holds him up for a second as Jack yells that Charlie was with him, but Hurley yells back that Charlie Horse is safe now…well, kinda. Michael insists that they’ll get Dr. Jack out of there…
…as we go back to the jungle, where Sayid gives Sawyer the task of climbing up as high as he can in a tree and placing the second antenna there. Sawyer sarcastically thanks him for the job and walks off. Sayid is suspicious, saying that he doesn’t trust Sawyer with Kate, but Kate thinks that she can handle him. Right. Sawyer is already way up the tree.
To the cave-in, as Michael says that they can’t make that hole any bigger without creating a larger problem, but since Dr. Jack can’t get out, someone is going to have to go get him. Hurley looks at the hole and looks intimidated, and Boone says that Michael probably means someone smaller. Jin rattles off something in Korean and Hurley says that they don’t understand Chinese but Michael is quick to correct him to Korean, and then gives a look over to Sun, who knows that she can translate for Jin but doing so would be a very grave mistake. Finally, Charlie arrives in the cave again and offers to take on the job. The others don’t want him to do it since he just escaped the cave-in himself, and Michael says that he should do it, but who’s going to take care of Walt if something happens? Sun has a husband, Boone has a sister…Charlie Horse is truly the only lonely one on the island…or at least the only lonely one who can take care of business. Michael looks at Charlie as…
…we go to the high ground where Kate is getting anxious while looking at her watch. Sawyer is as calm as a cucumber, however, and thanks Kate for being there to remind him of their task so many times. Kate says that someone’s gotta be anxious about it and Sawyer laughs it off and then changes the subject, asking what it is about Jack that makes Kate so attracted to him. Or “weak in the loins,” in Sawyer speak. Kate doesn’t give an answer so Sawyer tries out some answers for himself, assuming that chicks dig the doctors. Hell, with a few band-aids and some peroxide, Sawyer could be the hero. And how interesting THAT would be. Kate can’t believe that Sawyer is actually comparing himself to Dr. Jack, but Sawyer says that there isn’t much of a difference between them, and Kate would know that if Dr. Jack had survived a few more weeks on this island. That gets Kate’s attention, as she asks Sawyer to repeat himself. Sawyer fake-realizes that he never told Kate, and then says that the word is Dr. Jack is in a cave-in. Kate is understandably startled, but Sawyer tells Kate to look on the bright side, now she has someone else to pity.
Over at the cave-in, Charlie is getting ready to go with a flashlight and some water, as Michael advises Charlie Horse to not rustle any of the rocks around him to encourage another collapse. Boone, Michael, and Hurley send their best wishes as Charlie Horse gives a final look back and then heads into the hole, heading into another flashback…
…people are chanting Driveshaft as he works his way into Driveshaft’s dressing room, where Liam is surrounded by two girls. He invites Charlie Horse to “grab a bird” and have a seat, but Charlie Horse has other things on his mind as he tells all the females to get out. Liam tells the two girls on him to go ahead and come back in five minutes, which I’m sure only makes Charlie even more angry. Charlie tells Liam that he missed the sound check and rehearsal, and since there is a show in an hour, Liam should probably get his head in the game. But Liam’s head is too busy in the drugs, as Charlie Horse finally says that that’s it and that it’s time to walk away. Liam thinks that Charlie has lost his mind, since even though Charlie Horse said that he’d say the word when it was time to walk away from everything, Liam wonders where they’re going to walk to. Charlie tries to appeal to Liam, telling him that he’s killing himself with those drugs, and destroying Driveshaft, but Liam is Driveshaft, and they don’t even know who the bass player is. Does Charlie even think they can walk away now? What is Charlie if he’s not in Driveshaft? Liam tells Charlie to piss off and leaves the dressing room, as Charlie Horse is distraught, and then turns to the pile of drugs, looking at himself in the mirror and then grabbing the heroin, sobbing…
…as we’re back in the cave, and Charlie Horse has to hurry since more rocks are starting to crumble around him. An avalanche falls behind him as he comes up on Dr. Jack, announcing that he’s here to rescue Dr. Jack.
And now, a word from our sponsors…well, now we know that Charlie Horse wasn’t like Liam, he turned to drugs when he realized there was nowhere else to turn.
Michael, Hurley and Boone are trying to decide what to do now as Kate runs up and wants to know where Dr. Jack is, but they can only point towards the cave-in. They don’t know if he’s alive, and then they tell her that Charlie tried to go through the tunnel, but it collapsed. Kate then realizes that nobody is digging, and frantically starts trying to dig Dr. Jack out.
Back in the collapsed caves, Charlie Horse moves the rock off Dr. Jack but Dr. Jack immediately finds himself in pain and tells Charlie that his shoulder is dislocated. Charlie Horse doesn’t think he can pop it back in, but Dr. Jack instills some confidence in him and Charlie is able to do it, sending Dr. Jack into another wave of pain and sending Charlie Horse into another flashback.
Wind chimes blow around as Charlie walks up the front door of a house, knocking on the door as it’s answered by Liam. Liam seems much more pleased to see Charlie as they give each other a hug. Cut to the backyard as Liam picks up her daughter while Charlie explains the reunion tour to him, starting in Los Angeles. It’s another chance to get onto a label, but Liam doesn’t want to come back. Unfortunately, they won’t book Driveshaft without Liam, so Charlie asks like Liam asked Charlie back at the church. But Liam tells Charlie that they were in Dresden looking for a fix while Liam’s daughter was being born. Charlie has no response as Liam asks him if he’s still using. Liam assumes this is why he hasn’t been returning Liam’s calls, since he’s still a junkie. But it was Liam’s fault, since it was supposed to be about the music, not the girls or the drugs. Liam offers Charlie to stay for a few weeks so he can get some help. Charlie is ready to take off as he tells Liam that he never looked out for him, and he’s got a plane to catch. Whoops.
Back in the cave-in, as Dr. Jack is ready to be the hero again, asking Charlie how long it’s been. Charlie denies that he knows what Dr. Jack is talking about, but the doctor knows best, so Charlie just admits that it’s been a day and a half. Dr. Jack asks about the withdrawls, and then why Charlie didn’t tell him sooner. Charlie explains that he didn’t want to be seen as useless and a junkie. Dr. Jack tells Charlie that he isn’t useless, since it took balls to get inside the cave and rescue Dr. Jack. Charlie wants to know how long Dr. Jack will remember it, and Dr. Jack advises that since they’re using so much oxygen, it won’t take long for the rest of their lives to come to an end. Charlie thinks that the cave looks like a confession. Charlie used to be a religious man, but he’s willing to confess right now. Until he hears wings flapping. Dr. Jack wonders what’s wrong and assumes a hallucination, but Charlie points out that there’s a moth in the cave! Charlie immediately starts digging towards a crack in the ceiling of the cave…
…meanwhile, outside of the cave-in, Sun gets some water to drink, as the rescue attempt continues. Michael tells Kate to take a break, but Kate insists that she’s fine…Michael wants Kate to stop, but Kate just glares at Michael and continues digging.
Back inside the cave, Charlie can see light! The others are digging outside of the cave, but Charlie is going up through the top of the cave, and his hand emerges through the top all Carrie-like as he laughs. Walt’s dog barks as Walt notices the doctor in the distance, and sure enough, here comes Dr. Jack and Charlie Horse, as Kate gives Dr. Jack a hug which hurts his shoulder, and Dr. Jack tells the group that Charlie found a way out, and Hurley gives HIM a big hug and the rest of the group congratulates Charlie on finding a way out. Finally, acceptance and the realization that he’s not useless.
Now to close out the other main storyline: Sayid says a prayer in Arabic as it’s 5:00, and he sets off his botle rocket. Sayid says to himself that it’s everyone’s turn now:
At the beach, Shannon is talking with a random survivor about boys as the random survivor points out the rocket in the sky. Shannon scrambles through the sand and sets off her bottle rocket, as I’m fooled into thinking that she’ll be the one to drop the ball…so now it’s Sawyer who’s going to fudge it up, right? Sayid looks over, hoping for the bottle rocket from Kate, and that bottle rocket goes off (but it’s from Sawyer, not Kate), but Sayid is happy all the same as the transceiver begins to pick up the signal. Sayid’s got the signal, and it’s in full…as someone comes up from behind Sayid and whacks him into unconsciousness! Holy shit!
And now, a word from our sponsors…we’re in the home stretch and what the hell? Sayid is out cold, but who could’ve done it? Sawyer was too busy setting off a bottle rocket…was it Locke? Locke is the only one who isn’t doing anything like congratulating Charlie, setting off bottle rockets or being a useless character that no one even knows the name of. But why would Locke do that to Sayid?
At the cave, we don’t get an answer to the Sayid question yet as Charlie and Dr. Jack sit around the fire, with water from Hurley. Hurley looks at Charlie and asks if he’s okay, but Dr. Jack says that he’s just got the flu. Hurley tells Charlie to take it easy, and Charlie sees Locke and then says that he’s going to go stretch his legs. Oh no. But wait, if Locke is there…is the French woman still alive?
Walt asks Michael if they can stay in the cave since the place is much cooler than the beach, but Michael is too busy staring at Sun from a distance. Dr. Jack is still by the fire as Kate arrives, wrapping a sling around Dr. Jack’s shoulder as Kate takes a seat by the fire. Dr. Jack says that the cave-in was a fluke and that everything else is safe. He asks if Kate’s going back to the beach, and she says that Sayid should be back there by now, and if his plan worked, then they’re one step closer to getting off the island. Okay, so if Sayid is supposed to be back by that time, then I have to assume that Locke could’ve gone out there, whacked Sayid and come back just in time to taunt Charlie some more. Okay, here’s a theory. Locke knows that if Sayid finds out where the signal is coming from, there is a very sure chance that they can get off the island, and since Locke is so fascinated by the island, and understandably so, since the island has given him a chance to walk and be the person he’s always wanted to be, why would he want to leave so soon? If he goes back to his old life, he’ll be nothing but a guy playing Risk during his lunch break. Anyway, Dr. Jack thanks Kate for the sling once again, as they stare at the fire.
Back over to Locke, who watches Charlie come up to him. Charlie turns to Locke and asks for the drugs a third time. Locke asks him if he’s sure, but Charlie’s made his choice. So much for fighting the addiction. Charlie looks at his drugs…and then tosses them into the fire. Yeah! Locke is proud of Charlie for doing that, he always knew he could do it. Charlie looks up at the moth as it floats up towards the sky, and smiles.
…End show?! WHAT?! NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! What happened to Sayid? Anyway, watching the preview for next week, it looks pretty interesting, as things seem to be boiling over. But still…give us an answer, please! Don’t make me ask three times!
