"Under the Knife"

Album

Lost Season 3 (Original Television Soundtrack)

Track length

4:18

Track type

Suspense/Action Emotion Track

Episode title

"I Do"

Buy from

iTunes

Featured in episode(s)

"I Do"
"Not in Portland"
"Confirmed Dead"
"Whatever Happened, Happened"

©2008 Varèse Sarabande and Michael Giacchino

"Under the Knife" is an orchestral piece on the Season 3 soundtrack. Its rhythmic theme in 9/8 meter plays during Ben's surgeries.

Main appearanceEdit

Ben is about to undergo surgery. He asks whether Alex has checked up after him. Jack tells him to count backwards from 20 as the anesthesia takes control of him.

A little into the surgery, an assistant asks about some unusual bleeding. Jack knocks him out and reveals that he has sliced Ben's kidney sac and will let him bleed to death unless the Others set Kate and Sawyer free.

Back at the cages, Danny pulls out Sawyer and prepares to execute him. Kate's cries of protest do nothing, but Tom phones Danny, relaying Jack's commands.

Full list of appearancesEdit

"Under the Knife" and its variations play during the following scenes:

• Jack begins Ben's operation. ("I Do")
• The operation continues. Kate and Sawyer escape their cages. ("Not in Portland")
• In a Previously on Lost recap, Naomi dies. A group of survivors leave with Locke. ("Confirmed Dead")
• Juliet tries operating on young Ben. ("Whatever Happened, Happened")

InfluencesEdit

The piece begins with its surgery motif, then plays brief sections of Ben's theme and Jack's motif. It then moves to a variation of the life and death theme before returning again to Jack's motif.

Title significanceEdit

The title refers to Ben's being under the surgical knife.