LAMAZE
Coming to grips with the reality that she's actually going to have her baby on the island, Claire finds herself getting pre-natal preparation from an unlikely source when an emergency forces her into a CAVE with Sun and Jin, a couple now at war with each other.
This would have been a normal, human interest story, and jumping point for a Claire flashback on how she got pregnant and her internal struggles whether she would keep her child. It would make sense that some of the castaway women would be drawn by their maternal instincts to "help" Claire. Again, Sun was supposed to be a second doctor (with more holistic, Eastern philosophy) so Sun caring for Claire would make sense in that story line. The "emergency" that forces her to a cave is unclear - - - was it a safety issue from the beach camp and threats of attacks from the Others, or was it a medical emergency to keep her sheltered from the elements? It would seem it was more an outside danger if Jin was assigned to help "protect" her. But if that is the case, why would not the entire camp seek the safety of the caves? The viewpoint of Claire into the marital strife between Jin and Sun could have been the contrast to her own back story with her boyfriend. This story idea makes more logical sense than what appeared in the series. Jack gave Claire no pre-natal instruction. The only person who gravitated toward her was Charlie, in order to find what he was looking for in his life, a sense of family. But it was Kate, by accident, who would deliver the baby in the show, an entirely different outcome than originally proposed in the guide.
THE RAFT
Coming to grips with the reality that she's actually going to have her baby on the island, Claire finds herself getting pre-natal preparation from an unlikely source when an emergency forces her into a CAVE with Sun and Jin, a couple now at war with each other.
This would have been a normal, human interest story, and jumping point for a Claire flashback on how she got pregnant and her internal struggles whether she would keep her child. It would make sense that some of the castaway women would be drawn by their maternal instincts to "help" Claire. Again, Sun was supposed to be a second doctor (with more holistic, Eastern philosophy) so Sun caring for Claire would make sense in that story line. The "emergency" that forces her to a cave is unclear - - - was it a safety issue from the beach camp and threats of attacks from the Others, or was it a medical emergency to keep her sheltered from the elements? It would seem it was more an outside danger if Jin was assigned to help "protect" her. But if that is the case, why would not the entire camp seek the safety of the caves? The viewpoint of Claire into the marital strife between Jin and Sun could have been the contrast to her own back story with her boyfriend. This story idea makes more logical sense than what appeared in the series. Jack gave Claire no pre-natal instruction. The only person who gravitated toward her was Charlie, in order to find what he was looking for in his life, a sense of family. But it was Kate, by accident, who would deliver the baby in the show, an entirely different outcome than originally proposed in the guide.
THE RAFT
Sayid salvages a package from the debris field that could change the lives of the survivors: a fully-
functional inflatable escape raft from one of the plane's exit rows. While some argue that the raft
would be an invaluable addition to the survivor's camp (as waterproofing or a device to collect
water), Sayid announces his intention to get off the island - hoping to drift into a shipping lane and
initiate a rescue.
Again, another "common sense" story idea. If major parts of the plane fell to the island such as the fuselage, then there would have been one or two life rafts among the plane debris since the crew and passengers had no time in which to evaculate the plane. When the survivors scavenged the plane for food, clothing, medical supplies, why did they not find the life rafts? I never thought about that until now - - - and it is such a head slap that it hurts. The castaways should have found the rafts, or at the very least looked for them. So the writers had the vehicle for an island escape already thought out - - - but for no apparent reason totally changed the premise. Instead of Sayid drifting off to the shipping lanes for rescue, the show had Michael suddenly becoming a ship right to build a raft. The Sayid adrift idea may have been recycled into the Desmond back story (to a point), but there was no real reason why the Sayid raft story was not used in the series.
SOLDIERS, WORKER, QUEEN
A patch of wild berries used by the castaways is found stripped clean and it soon becomes clear that the island is being subjected to a marching swarm of ravenous SOLDIER ANTS (this is not the "Arachnophobia" treatment, the ants are microscopic). With their own society in its most fractured state, Kate emerges as the clearest thinker, establishing herself as a true leader when the alpha- males of the island are unable to resolve their differences.
Again, another common sense them of the survivors battling nature in order to survive. The idea of a swarm of tiny ants invading the camp is one of those Saturday afternoon B-movie monster films from our childhoods. But it would be the type of real life conflict that survivors would have to deal with on a strange island. The theme of society building was also part of this story idea - - - that there would be a split among the group: male dominant posturing versus practical woman ideas. How Kate would have solved this problem is unclear, but the writers were going to continue to elevate Kate as a co-lead character with Jack. In the actual show, Kate never reached the leadership role that TPTB originally envisioned for her.
RETURN OF THE GUN
Having lived quite comfortably in a world free of firearms, Sawyer and Sayid both discover that their respective pieces of the gun - divided between them by Kate in the pilot - have been stolen.
Although the two immediately suspect one another, they eventually team up to find the culprit.
Drawing up an actual scene in the pilot, the stealing of the gun (and its associated power) would have been a group conflict of suspicion, betrayal and mistrust. Again, the guide appears to want to show two characters who dislike each other put into a situation where they have to cooperate and resolve their differences, at least temporarily, to solve a problem. In this case, the lost gun would have been a real problem to solve in order to maintain some standing in the new community. And which person actually took the gun would have something to answer - - - why. If it was Jack or Kate, they could claim they needed it to protect the group. If it was Locke, he could claim he needed it to hunt. But if it was someone else, a lesser character like Charlie, or a dangerous mad man like Boone who was paranoid about everyone around him, that could have led to greater conflict. But the series did not use the gun or any other object as a touchstone to create a dramatic story line. Once the Hatch was opened and the arms locker found, the idea of one person having a weapon was moot. Originally planned, the gun would have symbolized power amongst the group of survivors desperate for safety and security from the island's elements.
Each one of these four story ideas had real merit. Again, why the writers failed to follow through on any of them is another puzzling mystery.
Again, another "common sense" story idea. If major parts of the plane fell to the island such as the fuselage, then there would have been one or two life rafts among the plane debris since the crew and passengers had no time in which to evaculate the plane. When the survivors scavenged the plane for food, clothing, medical supplies, why did they not find the life rafts? I never thought about that until now - - - and it is such a head slap that it hurts. The castaways should have found the rafts, or at the very least looked for them. So the writers had the vehicle for an island escape already thought out - - - but for no apparent reason totally changed the premise. Instead of Sayid drifting off to the shipping lanes for rescue, the show had Michael suddenly becoming a ship right to build a raft. The Sayid adrift idea may have been recycled into the Desmond back story (to a point), but there was no real reason why the Sayid raft story was not used in the series.
SOLDIERS, WORKER, QUEEN
A patch of wild berries used by the castaways is found stripped clean and it soon becomes clear that the island is being subjected to a marching swarm of ravenous SOLDIER ANTS (this is not the "Arachnophobia" treatment, the ants are microscopic). With their own society in its most fractured state, Kate emerges as the clearest thinker, establishing herself as a true leader when the alpha- males of the island are unable to resolve their differences.
Again, another common sense them of the survivors battling nature in order to survive. The idea of a swarm of tiny ants invading the camp is one of those Saturday afternoon B-movie monster films from our childhoods. But it would be the type of real life conflict that survivors would have to deal with on a strange island. The theme of society building was also part of this story idea - - - that there would be a split among the group: male dominant posturing versus practical woman ideas. How Kate would have solved this problem is unclear, but the writers were going to continue to elevate Kate as a co-lead character with Jack. In the actual show, Kate never reached the leadership role that TPTB originally envisioned for her.
RETURN OF THE GUN
Having lived quite comfortably in a world free of firearms, Sawyer and Sayid both discover that their respective pieces of the gun - divided between them by Kate in the pilot - have been stolen.
Although the two immediately suspect one another, they eventually team up to find the culprit.
Drawing up an actual scene in the pilot, the stealing of the gun (and its associated power) would have been a group conflict of suspicion, betrayal and mistrust. Again, the guide appears to want to show two characters who dislike each other put into a situation where they have to cooperate and resolve their differences, at least temporarily, to solve a problem. In this case, the lost gun would have been a real problem to solve in order to maintain some standing in the new community. And which person actually took the gun would have something to answer - - - why. If it was Jack or Kate, they could claim they needed it to protect the group. If it was Locke, he could claim he needed it to hunt. But if it was someone else, a lesser character like Charlie, or a dangerous mad man like Boone who was paranoid about everyone around him, that could have led to greater conflict. But the series did not use the gun or any other object as a touchstone to create a dramatic story line. Once the Hatch was opened and the arms locker found, the idea of one person having a weapon was moot. Originally planned, the gun would have symbolized power amongst the group of survivors desperate for safety and security from the island's elements.
Each one of these four story ideas had real merit. Again, why the writers failed to follow through on any of them is another puzzling mystery.
