LOST recap: Dave

Let's just make one thing clear:
This is not all just happening in anyone's mind...
Ok?

Anyway: The knock against Hurley, when anyone dares (or bothers) to knock Hurley, is that he says 'dude' all the time and sounds like a message board (he's still the only character to use the word 'tailies'). Even the episodes featuring Hurley have been primarily comic relief, or just a bit flat (this season's Everybody Hates Hurley). But this one caught me a bit off guard.I was wary coming in, after the roll we'd been on with the Henry Gale storyline the last few weeks; and the decision to switch focus onto a character that hadn't really been doing much of anything this season. The opening with Hurley and Libby ripping up Hurley's stash (Hurley is this season's Charlie, since we actually are seeing him indulge in his addiction) felt off. I do think they're forcing those two together, in spite of whatever mental-hospital-stalker thing Libby has going on:I'm also not sure I like that whole sub-plot, seems like a desperate attempt at making Libby more interesting. And Watros' performance as crazy-Libby reminded me of Jodie Foster in Nell: I'm not sure if she's supposed to be playing it crazy or retarded, and the performance is insulting to either group.

But this episode was funny, very funny in fact. Any episode with the big guy dishing out a well-deserved walloping to Sawyer can't be all bad. And that was hilarious, especially Sawyer trying to crawl out from beneath the tarp, only to be dragged back under (That's for the tree frog, motherfucker!).
What I didn't expect was to be so moved by the moment in the doctor's office, with Hurley talking about the balcony collapse. Probably because his character says 'dude' all the time, and sounds like a message board, I never had Jorge Garcia pegged as one of the better actors on LOST. Turns out he's capable of deep emotion; it was sad and sweet. Loved it.

Back in the hatch, Henry is still just fucking with poor Locke's mind. I pushed the button, I didn't push the button. Good Lord. And John is, as usual, the only one taken in by him.
Now, I'd like to believe the button's nothing. Just a bizarre, sick psychological experiment to drive poor saps like Desmond (where is Desmond, anyway?) and John insane. But if the button really is important, what are Henry's motivations for leading Locke astray?
Besides pure evil, that is.

Next week, Jack gets captured and it's a Bernard and Rose flashback, as if that makes any sense.

LOST Episode 2:18; Dave: B+