On the island:
Because of his inexperience as a father, Michael is sometimes
overly strict and protective of Walt, which leads to some
difficulties in their developing relationship. For a time,
Walt looks to John Locke as a father figure, and this leads
to several confrontations between the two, with Michael
forbidding Walt to approach Locke. This situation changes
after Locke is instrumental in helping Michael save Walt
from an attacking polar bear.
It is also Michael's idea to begin the building of the
raft, though his initial motivation is primarily to save
his son. Michael is the first person to know that Sun can
speak English. His association with Sun causes numerous
conflicts between him and Sun's husband, Jin. This conflict
reaches a head when the first raft Michael builds is burned.
Michael at first blames Jin, but after their confrontation,
in which Sun reveals to the other survivors that she can
speak English, Michael and Jin begin working together to
build a new raft.
After the launch of the raft, Michael, Jin, Sawyer, and
Walt find themselves confronted by the Others, who have
come to abduct Walt. The Others take Walt by force and blow
up the raft, leaving Michael stranded, floating on raft
debris with Sawyer. The ocean currents bring the pair back
to the island, whereupon they find Jin shortly before being
attacked by a small group of people. These captors eventually
reveal that they are survivors of the tail section of the
plane, and decide to travel across the island to join up
with Michael's group.
However, upon learning from Libby that the Others live
nearby, Michael abandons the group and heads off into the
jungle to search for Walt. It is only after being chased
down by Jin and Mr. Eko that Michael decides to hold off
his search.
Upon being reunited with the mid-section survivors, Michael
learns about the Hatch and the need to input the numbers
into the computer. He raises questions about the Hatch,
related to its blast doors, which it seems at least Locke
has noticed before, but the purpose for which is unknown,
and a computer with no other use than punching in numbers.
However, while Eko and Locke are discovering the part of
the Orientation film that warns not to use the computer
for communication, Michael notices a "Hello?"
on the computer's screen. He types in that he is Michael,
to which the screen responds "Dad?". After seeing
this, Michael volunteers for an extra shift in the hatch,
hoping to get a chance again since he assumes that he has
been communicating to Walt. The communication happens again
in "The 23rd Psalm"; this time the screen asks
if Michael is alone, and then tells Michael he must come
for him because "they are coming back soon".
In "The Hunting Party" Michael knocks out Locke,
traps him and Jack in a closet, and sets out to find the
Others. Locke, Jack and Sawyer hear seven gunshots as they
track him, and find three shells from Michael's gun. Michael
was captured by "the others" and taken back to
their camp. He is told that he must free Henry Gale, and
bring back Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Hurley if he wants to
see Walt again.
Michael was found wandering in the Jungle by Jack and Kate,
and taken back to the hatch in "Two For The Road".
He explains what he found, and says that he thinks he knows
where "the others" are holding the children, and
is convinced that the lostaways can take them. It's later
revealed that he was captured by the others, and they gave
him an ultimatum... to bring Kate, Jack, Sawyer, and Hurley
back to them in return for Walt, and a boat.
Later, he approaches Ana Lucia who has just failed to kill
Henry Gale in a fit of rage. Michael tells her he will do
it for her, and she gives Michael the combination to the
locker where Gale is being held. Instead of killing Gale,
he shoots Ana Lucia in the chest, and in a moment of panic,
shoots Libby who wanders into the hatch looking for a blanket.
Ana is killed instantly, Libby survives a bit longer, but
because Michael shot himself in the shoulder, he manages
to convince Jack, Kate, and Sawyer that the escaped Un-Henry
Gale was the shooter.
Michael organizes an assault on the "others"
to grab Walt back, but it's obvious he's just organizing
the capture of Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley. During the
trip across the island, Jack confronts him about his intentions
and he admits to shooting Ana and Libby. Michael's deal
with the others seems to be honored, and he is given Walt
and the powerboat and directions to escape the island.
Before the crash:
Michael has been estranged from his son, Walt — named
for Michael's father — for nearly all of Walt's life.
Years earlier, Michael was very excited at the prospect
of becoming a father and husband, but Walt's mother, Susan
Lloyd, had other plans. Michael puts off his intentions
to be an artist, in order to find steady construction work
to support his family, while Susan goes to law school. When
Susan is offered a plum job in international law, she takes
their son with her to Amsterdam, leaving Michael alone in
New York City. While there, she eventually marries Brian
Porter, the man who hired her. When Susan calls to tell
Michael about her marriage intentions, he becomes enraged,
announces he is coming to Amsterdam to get his son back,
and promptly runs off. As he crosses the street, he is hit
by a car, which leaves him hospitalized for months, and
requires a year off for rehabilitation. Two months after
the accident, Susan tracks him down at the hospital and
convinces him to give up his parental rights to Walt, so
that her new husband can adopt the boy.
Several years later, in an abrupt visit by Brian, Michael
learns about Susan's death. Distraught at the loss of his
wife, and seemingly afraid of Walt, Brian requests that
Michael fly to Sydney to take custody of Walt. Before leaving
on Flight 815 to the United States, Michael calls his mother
and asks if she can take Walt, since Michael believes he
is unfit to take care of him at the time. She refuses, and
when Michael hangs up the phone, he sees Walt standing right
beside him, although it is unclear how much of the conversation
Walt has heard. |
