Special is the second episode of Lost written by David Fury, following the riveting, Sayid-centric Solitary. Like the latter episode, Special places a lot of emphasis on romance - well, to some extent - and strained human relationships, bringing Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau) and his son Walt (Michael David Kelley) to the fore.
The father-son relationship is put to the test when Michael realizes Walt has gone against his wishes and keeps spending time with Locke, who is teaching the boy how to use a knife. In order to spend more time with the kid, Michael asks for his help in finding parts of the plane wreck that can be used to build a raft. He later gets a chance to strengthen the bond when Walt is attacked by a polar bear, while the other survivors keep thinking about getting Claire back from the Others.
The Michael/Walt situation is further analyzed in the flashbacks, which reveal that Michael's ex-wife had obtained custody of the boy and taken him with her to Holland and Australia, where her new husband worked. After her death, Michael was allowed to get his son back because the stepfather believes there's something weird about him.
Like the Claire flashbacks, this episode's off-Island scenes throw in the suggestion that something's been in the works, with subtle hints related to the possibility that Walt possesses supernatural abilities. However, the mystery arc is generally overshadowed by moving character development: Kelley keeps being as interesting as he's been from the start, and Perrineau finally gets to show his skills on the show with a role that is a lot more complex and rounded than his earliest scenes in the series would have suggested. Not that the mythology is completely ignored: Rousseau and a "black rock" are mentioned, and the final scene is a guarantee that the Island storyline will be placed front and center in the next episode, confirming Lost's knack for cliffhangers.