The characters of Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau) and his son Walt Lloyd (Malcolm David Kelley) are featured in the episode's flashbacks.

"Special" received positive reviews from critics, with praise given to Michael's relationship with Walt and Perrineau's performance.

Months later, Michael calls Susan, and she reveals to have started a relationship with her former boss, Brian Porter (David Starzyk).

While Michael is in the hospital recovering, Susan appears and says she will be marrying Brian and he wants to adopt Walt as his legal son.

On Day 26, October 17, 2004, an annoyed Michael Dawson confronts Walt Lloyd, whom John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) has been teaching how to throw a knife, and enlists his help in scavenging parts from the wreck to build a raft.

Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) recovers Claire Littleton's (Emilie de Ravin) diary from James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) with help from Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly).

As he skims through it, hoping to find some mention of him in her musings, he reads her description of a dream about a "black rock" which corresponds to a location on the map that Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) stole from Danielle Rousseau (Mira Furlan).

However, while looking for Vincent, who disappeared shortly after Walt was attacked by the bear, Locke and Boone Carlyle (Ian Somerhalder) are shocked by the sudden appearance of Claire, stumbling out of the jungle.

[5] Malcolm David Kelley, the child actor who portrayed Walt, had appeared in various film and television projects since a young age before earning a casting call on Lost.

[6] As he was near the age of 12 when cast, series co-creator Damon Lindelof knew the actor's puberty was eventually going to be a problem and discussed it with J. J. Abrams during filming of the pilot episode.

[14] She said that one of her favorite scenes of the entire season "was Michael and Walt bonding over the letters and the drawing of the sunburned penguin.

"[14] In her 2006 work Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide, Nikki Stafford considered the episode's flashbacks to be "some of the most emotionally painful ones yet" due to the lack of control over his circumstances.