Nice to met you all too.Had to go brush teeth,etc.Really must go to bed soon.If I had been Charlie in the swim pool incident I would probably not have trusted anyone again if I had not been promptly caught by my dad,even though he may have gained self confidence from it,being as he did swim. However,I do recal when my now adult son was learning to ride a bicycle I had to run along "holding up"his bike for him until one time I just let go and he rode on just fine and seemed thrilled that he could now ride without help.I'll have to ask him if his little kid psyche was damaged or if his self esteem was improved.The decisions of parenting,difficult job.nite nite for real this time.hope to chat with you all again in the future. (me asleep-what does that one really mean?)

losttn1 wrote:

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1. Things I never understood about Charlie........When he jumped into the pool to his dad as a child,it appeared to me that his dad did not catch him,other post I read saw it as a poigant,bonding moment.What do you all think? I only saw it once,perhaps I saw it wrong.

2. Also I never could reconcile how how such a seemingly,excuse me Charlie lovers,wimpy and ineffectual person could so decisively and easily kill Ethan in cold blood without a seconds hesitation.

 

3.Of course by his final (?) actions,it would appear that he had changed completely from the Charlie that arrived on the island. What do you think?

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Okay, I kinda divided your post into three questions and I'll attempt to answer...

1. Island alluded to it. How did any of us learn to ride a bike?  The classic way we're taught to ride a bike is  ... well, after training wheels of course ...  someone - our father, brother or someone is holding on and we're peddling. Now, we're counting on them to hang on. We are confident they're hanging on and then they let go. Do they let go because they're betraying us? No, they let go because they see that we have the ability to do it on our own so they let go to show us that we can. They let go to help us, not to hurt us. By letting go, they encourage our independence.

So, Charlies dad did not catch him, but because of it Charlie was able to do it on his own. When his head comes up he smiles brilliantly and exclaims .. "I did it!!!"  Sharing that with his father created a stronger bonding moment than if the dad would have just caught him.     

 

2. All of us. Let me emphasize ... every single person on this planet has the ability to perferm heinous acts. EVERY one of us. It does not matter how easy going, how meek we all seem. The difference is the choices we make. And sometimes ... well, most of the time, those choices are not so clear cut.  In Charlies case, he'd been subjected to some extreme circumstances. He'd been tied up and hung and nearly died. The woman he loved had been victimized and noone knew exactly in what way because she had no memory of what had happened. Ethan had literally came onto the beach and snapped a guy into pieces with his bare hands. At least that's what we're led to believe. This individual was different than Cooper because aside from when he pushed Locke out of the window - which he did so because he was in his mind backed into a corner since Locke had stalked him for years instead of walking away - Cooper had mainly just been a conman. A lowlife who took peoples money and left them. So far as we know, the incedent with Locke was the only one.

So, here was Charlie, fresh from being kidnapped and hung, knowing his inability to protect Claire from the monster, thinking on what sick and perverted things he might have done to her. I dare say he probably didn't have much sleep on top of it. He see's that they are going to try to catch this guy. He thinks ... there's no way on this planet you're gonna catch this guy and tie him up anywhere near where Claire is. There is no way on this planet I'm gonna fail miserably twice.  So he trails them, sees his chance, picks up the gun, aims and shoots. How he managed to shoot and kill him without missing - I don't have a clue. It was close range, a large target ?

3. People do change. That's a given. The essence of who a person is generally does not change. The fact that they showed us the brave rescue of Nadia clues us into the fact that this is something Charlie has done before. And the fact that he stuck by Claire when Ethan kidnapped them. He went in the cave to help Jack. Self-sacrifice was not something new to him. He slipped down a horribly wrong path with the drug use. But he was not a horrible person. He had a conscience, he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he didn't know how to stop and at that point, he assumed his life had become worth nothing more than this. His brother had bled him dry and then took off to be a respectable person. He had no other family. There was noone, but his one friend who wanted to use him to get money.  Charlie made huge mistakes off and on the island, but he had made progress.

Also, the writers did make it clear that the island does tend to magnify a persons characteristics.

 

 

 

losttn1 wrote:

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Lion Queen-Thanks for the reply,you made me see it in a whole new light.Also,you are very articulate with your writting.

Island Reigns-That is the best picture of Charlie I ever saw.His eyes are beautiful there.

Desmonds Pen-hope your migraine is gone now.Thanks for your help also.

Katie is lost-Love your avatar.Will have to find your show.

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Thank you the show is called Moonlight( as you can see from my avi and banner, and it is on Fridays on CBS. it just started last Friday it's a vampire show btw