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"Live together, die alone" redirects here. For other uses of "Live together, die alone", see Live together, die alone (disambiguation).

"Live Together, Die Alone" is the twenty-third episode and 2-hour season finale of Season 2 of Lost, and comprises the 48th and 49th produced hours of the series as a whole. Events come to a head as Michael leads his friends across the Island to confront the Others. Meanwhile, Desmond returns to the Island on a sailboat, and he and Locke make a decision to see what happens if the countdown in the Swan goes beyond zero. This episode was also Desmond's first flashback episode.

Synopsis[]

Previously on Lost[]

  • Jack yells skeptically at Desmond about the button. Jack and Locke argue over the button's legitimacy. ("Orientation")
  • Locke watches the Pearl orientation film and laments the button's evident uselessness. Eko resolves to keep pushing it. ("?")
  • Bea tells Michael to fetch four survivors — Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley — or risk never again seeing Walt. ("Three Minutes")
  • Michael kills Ana Lucia and Libby and sets Henry free. ("Two for the Road")
  • Michael insists on sticking to his plan and Sayid expresses suspicions about him. A boat's arrival interrupts the women's funeral. ("Three Minutes")

Flashback[]

Before the Island[]

2x23 DesmondWidmore

Widmore advises Desmond to stay away from his daughter.

Desmond is released from a military prison and dishonorably discharged from the British Army's Royal Scots Regiment. His possessions are returned to him, including a copy of Charles DickensOur Mutual Friend, and a photograph of him with a woman. He tells the guard that he is saving the book to be the last thing he reads before he dies. Outside the prison he is met by a sinister businessman in a limousine — Charles Widmore, the father of Desmond's estranged girlfriend, Penelope. Widmore reveals that he had intercepted all of Desmond's letters to Penelope and that she was soon to be married to another man. He offers Desmond a large sum of money to stay away from her: "No contact; no calls, no post." When Desmond asks why he would accept such a deal, Widmore tells him that he will accept because he is a coward.

2x23 LibbyDesmondCoffee

Desmond reveals to Libby he intends to participate in Widmore's race.

Some time in 2001, Desmond arrives in the United States where a stranger buys him a coffee. He tells her that he needs money to obtain a boat to win back his honor in a race around the world sponsored by Charles Widmore and shows her the race pamphlet. He wants to beat him in his own race, and then win back the love of Widmore's daughter, Penelope. Desmond adds that he still has no boat. Libby reveals that she has a boat that belonged to her husband, David, who had wanted to sail to the Mediterranean but wasn't able to and died the previous month. Libby wants Desmond to have the boat. The boat was named after her, the Elizabeth. Desmond protests but when she insists, he gratefully accepts. He says he "shall win this race for love."

2x23 DesmondPenny

Desmond meets with Penny before he goes on the race.

Later in Los Angeles, Desmond is preparing to run the steps of a sports stadium, a tour de stade, where Jack, a stranger, arrives to do the same. Penelope arrives unexpectedly, having tracked Desmond down and confronts him, she asks him sarcastically whether he has read the book Our Mutual Friend and why he didn't write to her but Desmond does not answer. She reveals she hasn't yet set a date for her marriage. Desmond tells her he will be back in a year but Penelope asks why not "now". Penelope then asks what he is running from, Desmond says that he has to win the race sponsored by her father to regain his honor, which is what he is running to.

On the Island[]

2x23 KelvinComputer

Kelvin saves the world.

During the boat race around the world, Desmond is caught in a heavy storm. He goes into his cabin, puts his book in a plastic bag for protection, and takes it with him. He is knocked unconscious. He washes up on a shoreline, dazed, and sees a figure in a yellow HAZMAT suit. A man collects him from the beach and brings him inside the Swan Station. This man asks Desmond if he is "him." As a test, he asks Desmond the Snowman joke, but Desmond does not understand. The man reveals himself to be named Kelvin Inman, Des asks about his boat but Kelvin says that no boat was to be found. The beeping starts and Kelvin enters the numbers, and Desmond asks him what that was for. "Just saving the world," replies Inman. He then enlists Desmond as his Swan Station partner after showing him the Swan Orientation film. Desmond asks why they are missing parts in the video. Kelvin replies that his old partner Radzinsky has edited the film. Kelvin adds that he is wearing that yellow suit so that he does not get infected. He then shows Desmond a vial of vaccine and an injector, and instructs him to inject himself every 9 days because he was outside for a long time.

2x23 KelvinMap

Kelvin writes notes on the blast door map.

After living with him for about two years, Desmond saw Kelvin trigger a fake lockdown many times, and one day Desmond did it himself under Kelvin's instructions. Kelvin then continued his project of painting the map seen by Locke with detergent. He revealed that his partner, Radzinsky, was the one who figured out how to trigger a fake lockdown (by hot-wiring the controls), and that it was also he who had the idea of creating the map. Desmond was getting impatient with the fact that Radzinsky invented everything, yet he does not know what happened to him. Kelvin reveals that Radzinsky had killed himself with a shotgun while Kelvin was asleep, leaving a stain on the ceiling. Kelvin only had 108 minutes to bury him. Desmond then complains that he has not left the Hatch since his arrival, but Kelvin reminds him of the quarantine and the Hostiles. Desmond has not been outside for two years and asks if he can go out, saying that he was in the army, but Kelvin once again reminds him that he was kicked out because he couldn't follow orders. Kelvin says he left "his" army because men followed his orders. But then, he joined the DHARMA Initiative. Kelvin adds that Des must follow his orders and stay inside to push the button.

2x23 KelvinDesmondFailSafe

Kelvin, drunk, shows Desmond the fail safe.

Some time later, Desmond wakes up at the sound of the alarm: only 45 seconds are left and Kelvin is nowhere to be found. He enters the numbers and notices an open entrance to an underground level. He finds Kelvin drunk under that unknown floor access of the control room, with a key just above a lock marked "Caution: System Termination." Kelvin says that he "couldn't do it." Des is intrigued by the key and the lock. Kelvin explains that this is the only other way out: it is the fail-safe, and behind the wall lays a source of electromagnetism, geologically unique. He also claims that the Incident had been a leak from this source: "So now the charge builds up and every time we push the button it discharges it before it gets too big." Desmond does not understand why a human himself has to push the button every 108 minutes. Kelvin then questions whether Desmond himself would have the courage to release all of the pressure using the fail-safe, using an analogy of "blowing a dam."

2x23 DesmondDiscoversHisBoat

Desmond discovers his boat, hidden from him by Kelvin.

One day, Desmond notices that the HAZMAT suit has a large tear in it while Kelvin was preparing to go outside. Desmond realizes he had been deceived about the quarantine, a realization that was quickly confirmed after he followed Kelvin outside and saw him remove the suit. As he continues following Kelvin, eventually they arrive at a cove. There, Des sees his sailboat, almost completely repaired, at which point Kelvin announces he was aware of Desmond's presence, as he was a spook for 10 years. Desmond confronts Kelvin and becomes increasingly emotional, while Kelvin resignedly admits he had been going outside to repair Desmond's boat to leave the Island: "Screw the button, man. Who knows if it's even real." Believing he could have left the Island long ago, Desmond becomes enraged and throws himself at Kelvin, accidentally smashing his head against a rock and killing him. After the shock subsides, Desmond quickly takes the fail-safe key from Kelvin and sprints back to the Hatch, where the countdown has already reached zero. The hieroglyphs are locked in on the timer and system failure alarms are in effect. As Desmond struggles to remain calm enough to input the number sequence, the entire hatch visibly shudders, while metallic objects begin flying toward the magnetic wall area. The shaking and alarms end as Desmond finally enters the full sequence, resetting the timer.

2x23 DesmondLight

Desmond, full of happiness, sees the world is still out there.

Desmond sits disconsolate and drinking alcohol with a gun at a table in the Hatch, possibly considering suicide. When he opens his book Our Mutual Friend in preparation to read it, he discovers an envelope containing Penelope's letter. The letter had been written before he entered prison. In it, Penelope explains that she has hidden the letter in "the one place you would turn to in a moment of great desperation," which explains why she had asked about the book at their encounter at the stadium. The letter was a message of love and hope in the midst of despair, and ended with, "All we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us. And you have her. I will wait for you. Always." Des mutters and then shouts, "It's all gone." The letter enrages him and he begins to throw about the contents of the Hatch. At that moment, he hears the sound of someone else screaming in despair and pounding on a wall; that person is Locke pounding on the Hatch, after Boone's fatal injury. Desmond looks up to the Hatch entrance and turns a light onto the Hatch window, placating Locke, and calming Desmond from thoughts of suicide. He smiles in happiness.

On the Island[]

Desmond's arrival[]

2x23 JackSawyerSayid

Sawyer, Jack and Sayid confront the person on the sailboat.

With the arrival of a sailboat during Libby and Ana Lucia's funeral, Jack, Sawyer and Sayid then swim to the vessel with guns, and discover a drunk Desmond inside the cabin. That night, on the beach, he reveals that he had attempted to sail towards Fiji, but although he followed a good compass bearing and was making good running for two weeks he still found himself back at the Island. He adds that "we are stuck in a bloody snow globe! There's no outside world, there's no escape." Desmond finally asks Jack if they are "still pushing it," to which Jack replies with a smile, "Yeah, we're still pushing it."

Sayid recounts to Jack his suspicions about Michael and his plan for Walt's rescue. The arrival of Desmond's boat inspires him to ask Jack to use it for a secret flanking maneuver on the Others' camp before Jack and the rescue mission arrive. There, Sayid would make up a fire and black smoke would arise so that "this time, they would know that we are coming."

2x23 DesmondClaire

Desmond comments on the injections, claiming they are useless.

Jack, Kate, Michael, Sawyer and Hurley prepare themselves for the rescue trek across the island. Kate argues that the Others are not who they say they are, they are not hillbillies, but Michael replies that he knows what he saw. They leave.

At her tent, Claire is about to do the weekly injection to Aaron, but Desmond interrupts, saying that she is wasting her time. He says that he shot himself with that every 9 days for 3 years. They then talk about Aaron's dad, who left Claire and the baby alone.

Sayid's backup plan[]

2x23 DesmondSayidRaft

Sayid asks Desmond if he could use his boat's raft.

Sayid goes to Desmond to ask for his boat as he wants to get to the other side of the Island quickly. Desmond asks if Sayid is going to see the Hostiles. Sayid doesn't know who he is talking about and Desmond reflects that "ignorance is bliss". Desmond gives the boat to Sayid but won't be the pilot for the sailboat. Sayid asks Jin who refuses saying he is not leaving Sun. Sun has other plans, and tells Jin that they won't be apart because she is coming too. Sayid packs a gun and some ammo on a small boat. Sayid is surprised to see Sun accompanying Jin, but Sun says that he needs someone to translate and at least two people who know how to sail.

2x23 SayidSunJinStatue

Sun, Jin and Sayid spot the four-toed statue.

The next day on the boat, Sun vomits from morning sickness. Sayid, Jin and Sun see the remnants of a giant statue on a shoreline: a four-toed foot. "I don't know what is more disquieting," says Sayid, "the fact that the rest of the statue is missing, or that it has four toes."

Soon after, Sun, Jin, and Sayid arrive at the Others' camp. When Sayid climbs up to the camp to investigate, he discovers that all the huts are abandoned. Sayid approaches the DHARMA station at the camp, and discovers there is only a rock wall behind the door.

Walt's rescue party[]

2x23 MichaelSensesSomething

Michael suspects that his cover might have been blown.

On their way across the jungle, Sawyer encounters a doll, but Kate prevents him from touching it, saying that he would be caught in a net. Sawyer then talks about his misunderstanding of Jack saying that he and Kate got caught in a net. Kate asks him since when he and Jack started talking about her.

Suddenly, the party encounters a large bird much like the one from "Exodus, Part 2", and Hurley believes it squawked his name. Michael tries to shoot it but his gun has no ammo in it. Michael is shocked and Jack says that he "forgot to load that one." Michael is suspicious.

2X23 MichaelJack

Jack exposes Michael in front of the rescue team.

That night, the group has made camp. Sawyer offers a DHARMA NutriBar to Hurley, who refuses, stating that he is not hungry. Michael seems to be deeply troubled by what happened earlier with the gun. Jack sneaks up on him, and asks him if he is all right. Jack then helps him getting firewood. Michael thanks him for risking his life for his boy. Jack replies, "Live together, die alone, man."

In the morning, Sawyer theorizes on who are the Others: DHARMA folks? Aliens? As the group is walking alongside a small river, Kate spots two Others stalking them on the other side. They begin the short Jungle skirmish.

Notebooks

Kate reads one of the Pearl notebooks at the capsule dump.

Michael gets upset at this, whereupon Jack confronts him about his betrayal. Michael is forced to tell the truth, admitting that he had killed Ana Lucia and Libby, let the false Henry Gale go, and led the rescue party based on instructions from the Others so that he could free Walt. He says they gave him a list with the names of the people who he had to bring. Hurley wants to go back but Jack then convinces the skeptical party to continue onward, revealing Sayid's plan. Jack says that the Others will kill them all if they think the survivors don't trust Michael.

2x23 BenAlexPalaFerry

Henry arrives at Pala Ferry, revealing his status.

The group soon after stumbles upon an enormous mound of pneumatic tube containers, a capsule dump. Sawyer finds amongst the containers Locke's map to the Pearl station. Jack sees Sayid's smoke signal, unexpectedly far away. He confronts Michael realizing that it was a double con as the party hears whispers, and they are soon ambushed by the Others who use stun darts and capture their entire party.

The rescue party is brought by the Others including Alex, to a pier, the "Pala Ferry." They are gagged and tied but Kate mumbles to Tom that she knows his beard is fake. Ms. Klugh inadvertently reveals his name as "Tom," and Tom reveals her name as "Bea." The false Henry Gale arrives in the motor boat and directs operations, revealing his status as their leader.

The Swan[]

2x23 LockeEkoHatch

Locke tries to shake Eko's faith in the Hatch.

In the Hatch, Locke's crisis of faith continues, and he tries to convince Eko to let the timer run down. John says that Eko doesn't want to be a slave, but the latter replies that he is a slave to nothing. Locke then says to not push the button, to which Eko replies: "Do not tell me what I can't do." Locke then tries to destroy the computer with the Jesus stick, but Eko stops him. They fight, and Eko locks him out of the the Hatch.

Charlie discovers Locke weeping in the jungle, and informs him of Desmond's return. Charlie adds that he "pushed the button too many times," referring to the fact that Desmond is crazed.

2x23 LockeAndHisPlan

Locke shares his plan with Desmond.

Later that night, Locke asks Desmond what did one snowman say to the other snowman, referring to the question Desmond asked him when they first met. Desmond replies, "Smells like carrots." Locke tells Desmond about the revelations from the Pearl Orientation video, that what happens in the Swan is a test, a psychological experiment. Desmond does not believe him, but Locke gives him the Pearl video. Desmond is curious and together they decide not to push the button the next day.

Locke and Desmond trick Eko into leaving the computer room by triggering a false blackout. The electrical buzzing is still strongly present in the Swan corridor. Desmond and Locke rush in the computer room, and lock Eko out with a false lockdown.

2x23 KnockKnock

Eko finds the Hatch's door.

Eko leaves and notices the QUARANTINE sign on the Hatch's door. He asks Charlie how they blew up the door. Eko then returns to the Hatch with Charlie and dynamite. Charlie tries to convince Locke to open the door, but Desmond is sure that the blast doors will hold. Charlie tells Eko that maybe it's an old computer connected to nothing. But Eko takes off Charlie's belt, and throws it in the air, where it is attracted by the magnetic wall. Charlie tries to leave as Eko sets and lights the dynamite fuse. Charlie runs through the corridor as the dynamite explodes and sends a fireball through the corridors.

2x23 MenOfFaith

Desmond and Locke discuss their faith.

The blast door holds. Desmond wants to open the door to see if they are hurt but Locke says it could be a trick. Desmond asks Locke why he wants to let the countdown go to zero; is it because he has to look down the barrel of a gun to find out what he really believes? Locke said he already has done that, and that he believed. He thought it was his destiny to get into this place, and someone died because "he was stupid enough to believe that I knew what I was talking about." Locke tells Desmond that on the night that Boone died for nothing, he was sitting up there all alone, yelling at the door, when a light came on. He thought it was a sign but it was probably just Desmond going to the bathroom. But it was Desmond experiencing his crisis and turning on the light to see another human being above at the hatch door. In retrospect, Locke now took this supposed omen to be yet another example to doubt his earlier faith, while Desmond realized that Locke had saved his life as he was about to kill himself.

2x23 That'sNotGood

The Pearl Log, recording the system failure.

Desmond asks Locke about the Pearl. Locke tells Desmond all about it: the notebooks, the TVs, the pneumatic tube. But Desmond thinks Locke has got it backwards: it is not them who are being monitored but the people at the Pearl station. Desmond wants to see that Pearl video but there is no way to see it in the Swan. Desmond asks Locke what else was down there, perhaps another computer. Locke says that there was a printer that "printed out numbers, lots of numbers". When Locke shows Desmond the log printout from the Pearl, Desmond discovers that the crash date of Oceanic Flight 815, September 22, is connected with the "SYSTEM FAILURE" entry in the log printout. That is the day he had accidentally killed Kelvin and did not enter the Numbers in time, causing a system failure in the Swan. His conclusion is that this event is the cause of Flight 815's crash: "I think I crashed your plane."

Charlie wakes up with ringing in his ears. He finds Eko, unconscious. Locke and Desmond continue to argue whether to push the button or not. As the timer reaches close to zero, their conversation becomes heated, leading Locke to smash the computer just as the countdown runs toward zero. "You've killed us. You've killed us all," says Desmond. Locke replies, "No, I've just saved us all." As the station is rocked by shaking and noise. Desmond opens the doors and finds the book he wanted to read before he died: Our Mutual Friend.

2x23 LockeWasWrong

Locke admits to Eko that he was wrong.

The fail-safe key is hidden in the book. He quickly tells Locke about the banging on the Hatch exterior, and that it was Locke that saved his life, so that he could now save his. He is going to blow the dam: "I'll see ya in another life, brother." Meanwhile, the timer reaches zero and flips into hieroglyphs. As the system failure alarm progresses, metallic objects begin to fly across to the magnet wall. Charlie revives Eko from the shock of the dynamite and tries to make his escape while Eko rushes into the control room, where he is met by a despondent Locke acknowledging his cataclysmic mistake, stating simply, "I was wrong." Desmond turns the key, while saying one last time, "I love you Penny." He triggers the discharge, resulting in a flash of white and purple/violet glow.

After the Discharge[]

2x23 HatchDoor

Claire and Bernard almost get hit by the Hatch door.

A groaning noise is heard. The flash is visible by everyone across the whole island, which is engulfed in a bright white/violet glow lasting nearly a minute that covers the entire sky and by a loud low droning sound, causing everyone to cover their ears in pain. At the camp, during the discharge, Bernard moves Claire and Aaron to safety by avoiding the "QUARANTINE" hatch door that falls from the sky. After the discharge the survivors are cleaning up the mess from the discharge when Charlie emerges from the jungle. Bernard asks him what had happened and if he was okay, to which a partially deaf Charlie tells him that he is fine.

2x23 BonVoyageMichael

Michael and Walt leave the Island.

At the dock, Henry Gale closes the deal with Michael. "Henry" is not happy with the arrangement, but they got "more than they bargained for when Walt joined them." Since he lived up to his word, Michael is given the boat and Walt, and instructed to escape the Island by following a bearing of 325 degrees to find rescue. Michael wonders whether that is all. He asks Henry how he knows he won't tell anyone about the Island. But "Henry" replies that whether or not he tells people won't matter: once he has left the Island, he won't be able to come back. Anyway, "Henry" believes that Michael won't tell anyone, because if he does, people will find out what he did to get his son back. Michael is reassured that his friends would not be hurt as a deal's a deal. Finally, Michael asks "Henry" - "Who are you people?" "Henry" replies, "We're the good guys, Michael." As Michael is reunited with his son on the boat, "Henry" adds, "Bon voyage, Michael." Michael leaves Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Hurley stare at him and Walt also sees the bound and gagged kneeling prisoners with guns pointed at them.

2x23 PrisonersOfOthers

Jack, Sawyer and Kate are left behind with the Others.

The Others also free Hurley, telling him that his mission is to tell the survivors never to come to this side of the Island. The rest of the prisoners are "coming home with the Others." Hurley looks at Jack, who, with his eyes, tells him to go. As Michael leaves on the boat, he looks one last time at an angry and betrayed Jack. Kate and Jack look at each other, not knowing what is going to happen to them. The captives are hooded by the Others in preparation for transport.

Later that night, Charlie and Claire are near a fire. Claire asks him what happened "out there." Charlie says that "nothing happened," even though the sky turned purple and Charlie is hurt. Charlie and Claire reconcile, with Claire giving him a small kiss.

Elsewhere[]

2x23 TheyFoundIt

Mathias calling Penny, informing her they found it.

In the Arctic/Antarctic two Portuguese-speaking men are playing chess when one notices a flashing red light on a computer, and a message on the computer screen reading "7418880 Electromagnetic Anomaly Detected." "How long has it been doing that?" asks one of the men. The other quickly opens a locked book, an instruction manual. "That's it, isn't it? We missed it again--" one says whilst the other quickly says, "We didn't miss it!" An alarm sounds. "So it's not a false alarm this time?!" the man asks, but the other one, agitated, replies, "SHUT UP AND CALL!" One of them, urgently makes a phone call with a phone that is a one-way direct line to someone.

2X24 Penelope

Penny realizes Mathias and Henrik "found it".

The phone rings somewhere. It is night. The receiving phone is on a bedside table, with a photo on it that looks like the picture of Desmond and Penny. A woman wakes and answers. "Yes?" the woman says. The man answers, "It's us. I think we found it."

It's Penny.

Trivia[]

  • This episode was split into two parts for international DVD releases, worldwide Blu-ray releases, and streaming. Making the original US DVD release the only official way to get the movie edit of the episode.
  • This episode marks the first appearance of Penelope and Charles Widmore.
  • This episode was the first flashback episode of someone not on Flight 815, and the second centered around a guest star (the first being Rose/Bernard's story in "S.O.S.").
  • An extract, read by Kate, of one of the notebooks reads:
    0400. S.R. moves Ping-Pong table again.
    0415. Takes a shower.
  • According to Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, there was originally supposed to be a scene where Sawyer was also wanting to go back with Hurley, thinking it was stupid to help Michael after what he did. Damon and Carlton wish they would have handled the feelings of the actors differently, but they just ran out of time. [1]
  • This episode is the first in which it is confirmed onscreen that September 22, 2004 -- the airdate of Lost's pilot -- is the date that Oceanic Flight 815 crashed.
  • Before season 5 this is the only episode that shows a flash of the outside world in current time, not in a flashback or flashforward, and not interacting with somebody on the island, such as Desmond calling Penelope in "The Constant".
  • Desmond refers to the Others as "The Hostiles" during this episode, and Kelvin also uses the term in a flashback. This is the first time the name is used on the show.
  • After the title, Kate tries to calm down a group of survivors. While she is walking to Jack on the beach, there is a bit of reversed speech hidden in the overlapping questions. First, one voice says, "How many people!" Then another says, "How many people can go on the boat?"
  • As Charlie and Eko prepare to use the dynamite on the blast doors in the Swan station, Desmond says to Locke that "It would take an atom bomb" to get through the doors. Later, in Season 5 when the survivors are living in 1977, they detonate a hydrogen bomb at the Swan station construction site, releasing the energy that would crash their plane.
  • This episode is rated TV-14-V.


Production notes[]

  • This was the final episode to feature Malcolm David Kelley (Walt) and Michelle Rodriguez (Ana Lucia) as main cast members.
  • This episode marks future main cast member Sonya Walger's first appearance as Penelope Widmore.
  • According to the May 26, 2006 Official Lost Podcast, the crew started writing "Live Together, Die Alone" four weeks prior to its airing. The episode was shot in seventeen days with two simultaneous crews, and the final scene with Penelope was shot just five days before airing.
  • According to call sheet reports from Aloha Oe, Rose was suppose to feature in this episode and share a chat with Locke. The likely reason it was not included was L. Scott Caldwell being unavailable for filming and therefore cut from the season 2 final.
2x24 OiginalEnding

The original ending. (promotional still)

  • Originally, the ending scene was completely different. It took place in the office of Widmore Industries, featuring Penny, a researcher played by Eyal Podell, and a receptionist played by Cathy Foy. The ending started with the researcher receiving a mysterious phone call, he then burst into a board meeting with a dot matrix print-out at his hand, and the scene ended with him sharing information to Penny that "they found it". However, under unknown circumstances, the producers decided not to use this scene in the final moment. As a replacement, a new shot featuring Penny had to be shot just five days before airing, and the original ending was never released.
  • International versions of this episode that aired in two parts, including DVD releases, are missing several scenes due to time constraints. They are as follows:
    • A brief scene right after the opening title sequence where Kate tries to calm down the other survivors and asks Jack for help. Instead, the episode jumps directly from the title to Desmond sitting at the camp fire.
    • The part of a flashback when Kelvin talks to Desmond about him doing a lockdown hundred times before. Instead, it goes straight to Desmond triggering a fake lockdown.
    • When Locke is about to tell Desmond that Jack has no interest in what is happening in the hatch, he is cut off just as he starts to speak.
  • A "Lost: On Location" featurette for this episode is available on the Season 2 DVD.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

  • The uniforms of the British Army soldiers are inaccurate. They are all pictured wearing outdated clothing and their berets are not formed (they should be closely formed to the head with the peak coming down over the right eye), nor do they have any regimental cap badges denoting with whom they serve. The soldier discharging Desmond is credited as a Master Sergeant, a rank which does not exist in the British Army.
  • When Kate, Jack and Sawyer are taken hostage, Alex grabs to pull Kate up, accidentally putting her hands on Kate's breast. She rather quickly pulls her hands away.
  • The photo of Desmond and Penny is quite different from the photo of Desmond and Penny in "Orientation". Most notably, Penny is a different actress.
    • The photo in "Orientation" was corrected for the DVD release.
  • As Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, and Michael begin their trek towards the Others' camp, Kate's backpack is seen on her back as she walks away. However in the next shot, she is seen putting on her backpack.
  • When Michael attempts to shoot the bird and discovers the pistol is unloaded, he pulls the trigger several times and we can hear the sound of external hammer striking repeatedly despite the fact that the pistol does not have one and would not click.
  • When Sawyer, Jack and Sayid swim toward Desmond's boat in the beginning of the episode, the boat is seen heading toward the island, although, when they finally reach near the boat there is no island behind them where they came from, just sky and clouds.
  • Sayid says he recognises the rock with the hole in the middle from Michael's information but he was not seen to be given this information - we only saw Walt give it to him in secret on the computer.
  • During the electromagnetic "earthquake" (when Locke refuses to push the button), Eko's metal necklace stays flat on his chest despite having been attracted to the concrete wall upon entering the station.
    • This was corrected in the Season 2 DVD release, apparently using a shot where Eko happened to look over his left shoulder. In the correction, Eko's cross can be seen to suddenly fly off his neck as he looks over his shoulder.
  • When Desmond looks through his letters, you can see the return address in the top left-hand side of the envelopes. In the United Kingdom, you don't need a return address, and if you do include one, it goes on the reverse of the envelope. ([2])
  • When Eko kicks Locke out of the hatch, Locke's backpack falls off in the computer room. Later when Locke speaks to Desmond on the beach he pulls the orientation video out of the same backpack.

Music[]

The Season 2 soundtrack includes six cues from this episode. "Toxic Avenger" plays as Desmond crashes on to the island. "I Crashed Your Plane, Brotha" plays when Desmond discovers his role in Oceanic 815's crash. "Eko Blaster" introduces the new bomb motif, and "The Hunt" introduces an action theme that plays in this and the following three season finales.

"McGale's Navy", which plays towards the end of the episode, offers the first statement of the Others' theme to appear on a soundtrack. "Bon Voyage, Traitor" offers the first statement of Desmond's theme, which also first plays in this episode. The episode also introduces a new counterpoint to the mystery theme and ends by introducing a motif that plays during scenes involving rescue.

Analysis[]

Recurring themes[]



Cultural references[]


Literary techniques[]

  • Penelope says that "with enough money and determination, you can find anyone". This foreshadows of the final scene of this episode and of the scene in "There's No Place Like Home, Part 3" in which she finds Desmond, Frank, and the Oceanic 6 on the ocean. (Foreshadowing)
  • When Desmond sees Jack on the boat, he says, confused, "You..", the same thing Jack said to him when he finds him in the Swan. (Juxtaposition)
  • Desmond served time in prison and was dishonorably discharged from the Royal Scots Regiment. Later while trying to regain his honor, he inadvertently crashes on the island and becomes a prisoner in the Swan. (Juxtaposition)
  • Kate ends up in the middle of Jack and Sawyer when taken hostage by the Others. (Juxtaposition)
  • Desmond reveals he was responsible for the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 on September 22, 2004. (Plot twist)
  • The episode ends with a phone call to Penny and the line "I think we've found it." (Cliffhanger)
  • Jack, Kate and Sawyer are taken captive by the Others. (Cliffhanger)
  • The fate of Desmond, Locke and Eko is left unresolved after the fail-safe key is turned. (Cliffhanger)
  • Eko attempts to blow up a blastdoor with dynamite. (Irony)
  • Desmond says "see you in another life" to Locke. (Regularly spoken phrases)
  • At around 11 minutes into the episode, Locke tells Eko to not push the button to which Eko replies, "Do not tell me what I can't do." (Regularly spoken phrases)
  • The four-toed statue will be visited again and become a significant location in Season 5. (Foreshadowing)


Storyline analysis[]

  • "Henry" shows authority among the Others. (Leadership)
  • Desmond won't stay with Penny because he wants to regain his honor and promises her he will be back. (Relationships)
  • Michael leads Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer across the Island to the Others. (A-Missions)
  • Sayid, Jin and Sun sail Desmond's boat to the North shore to scout the Others' camp. (A-Missions)
  • Locke and Desmond let the Swan countdown timer run down to zero. (A-Missions)
  • The Others meet at the Pala Ferry dock. (O-Missions)
  • Claire and Charlie share their first kiss. (Relationships)


Episode connections[]

Episode references[]

  • Desmond's failure to input the numbers on September 22nd, 2004 is revealed to have caused the crash and mid-air break up of Flight 815. ("Pilot, Part 1")
  • Claire tells Desmond about the father of her baby. ("Raised by Another")
  • Desmond turns on the light when he hears Locke banging on the hatch. ("Deus Ex Machina")
  • Locke tells Desmond about Boone's death. ("Do No Harm")
  • Eko asks Charlie how they opened the hatch. ("Exodus, Part 2")
  • Charlie warns Eko to be careful with the dynamite, telling him what happened to Arzt. ("Exodus, Part 2")
  • We see Jack arrive at the stadium from Desmond's point of view. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
  • Locke asks Desmond "so what did one snowman say to the other snowman?" ("Adrift")
  • Desmond's arrival on the Island is shown, as previously described by him. ("Orientation")
  • Kate tells Sawyer that she got caught in a net with Jack. Sawyer tells her he thought Jack meant something else when he told him. ("S.O.S.")  ("Three Minutes")
  • Sawyer finds the drawing of the blast door map that Locke had drawn and had put in the pneumatic tube in the Pearl. ("S.O.S.") ("?")
  • Michael reminds Kate that he saw where the Others live, and they are hillbillies. ("Two for the Road")  ("Three Minutes")
  • Locke informs Desmond of the Pearl station. ("?")
  • Michael is forced to tell the group about the list of names the Others gave him. ("Three Minutes")

Episode allusions[]

Unanswered questions[]

Unanswered questions
  1. Do not answer the questions here.
  2. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer.
For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Live Together, Die Alone/Theories
  • What is the origin of the four toed statue?
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