Live Together, Die Alone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Live Together, Die Alone” | |
|---|---|
| Lost episode | |
 Michael, Jack, Kate, Sawyer & Hurley head off to rescue Walt |
|
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 23 |
| Guest stars | Malcolm David Kelley (Walt), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond Hume), Sam Anderson (Bernard), M.C. Gainey (Tom), Michael Emerson ("Henry Gale"), Clancy Brown (Kelvin Inman), Tania Raymonde (Alex Rousseau), April Grace (Ms. Klugh), Alan Dale (Charles Widmore), Stephen Page (Master Sergeant), Michael Bowen (Pickett), Sonya Walger (Penelope) |
| Written by | Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof |
| Directed by | Jack Bender |
| Production no. | 223 |
| Original airdate | May 24, 2006 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Three Minutes" | "A Tale of Two Cities" |
| List of Lost episodes | |
"Live Together, Die Alone" is the 47th episode of Lost. It is the twenty-third episode, and season finale, of the second season. The episode was directed by Jack Bender, and written by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. It first aired on May 24, 2006 as a 2-hour finale on ABC. The character of Desmond Hume is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Several different storylines are woven together throughout the episode, which begins with the interruption of the funeral for Libby and Ana Lucia by an unexpected appearance of a sailboat, with a drunken Desmond the sole occupant. He explains that after leaving the island he had traveled "two and a half weeks, bearing due west, and making nine knots" before discovering that he had been drawn back to the island, which he describes as a "bloody snowglobe." He also informs Claire that the vaccine injections she is giving herself and Aaron are worthless.
[edit] Island storylines
In one island storyline, the survivors split up into two groups to head to the Others' camp that Michael described. Sayid — unbeknownst to Michael — plans to use Desmond's sailboat to come in by sea, while Michael leads the other four there on land. Sayid plans to use black smoke as a signal, saying that "this time, they will know that we are coming", a reference to the attacks in the first season finale. While at sea, Sayid, Jin, and Sun sight what appears to be the remnants of a massive statue — a large, four-toed marble foot broken off at the ankle, standing upon a rock in the surf. Sayid remarks that he does not know which is more disturbing, the fact that the rest of the statue is missing or that the foot has only four toes.
When he reaches the Others' camp, he finds it to be deserted. All the huts are bare, with no furnishings, and the set of hatch doors on the side of the hill reveal nothing but a tiny cave, no larger than a closet.
Meanwhile, Michael, Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, and Kate prepare to travel overland. Along the way, they encounter what looks like a large green bird, which swoops down on them, and according to Hurley (and the closed-caption subtitles), squawks his name. Later, they engage in a gun battle with some Others that were following them, and Sawyer kills one. Jack confronts Michael about leading the group into a trap, and Michael confesses to the murders of Ana Lucia and Libby. The group also discovers a large pile of the pneumatic tubes in which the journals from the Pearl were allegedly to have been conveyed to DHARMA headquarters. Among these is the map that Locke sent through the tube system in "?". While the group is investigating the pile, Sawyer spots Sayid's signal smoke, and they realize that Michael has led them to a location other than the beach, ruining their former plan to meet up with Sayid. Whispers are then heard, a frequent herald of the presence of the Others, after which Sawyer, Kate, and Jack are incapacitated by electric darts.
In the hatch storyline, Locke argues with Eko about whether or not to let the timer run down to zero. Eko throws Locke out of the hatch, so Locke seeks Desmond's help, after informing him of the 'Pearl' station and the monitoring of the 'Swan'. They distract Eko with a power failure, and then Desmond hotwires the blast doors shut, locking Eko outside so that Locke and Desmond, inside, can wait out the timer. Eko, distraught, seeks Charlie's help, pleading with him to help, or 'everyone on the island will die'. Charlie guides Eko to the stash where the unused dynamite was being stored, which they try to use to blast open the hatch doors, but it fails, knocking them both unconscious.
Meanwhile, Desmond and Locke discuss the purpose of the stations, and Locke shows Desmond the printout from the Pearl. Upon examining it, Desmond learns that the crash of the plane occurred on September 22nd 2004, the same day that he accidentally allowed the timer to run out, so he believes that this was the cause of the plane crash. He tells Locke that his banging on the hatch (during season 1) saved Desmond's life, and that now he is going to save Locke's life. Locke continues to doubt that the timer has any meaning, but Desmond assures him that it is all real, and tells him "See you in another life, brother" (as he did to Jack in "Man of Science, Man of Faith").
After the timer runs down, the station's metal pieces begin to crumple due to the magnetic field. Charlie, deafened by the dynamite, wakes up, and attempts to drag an unconscious Eko out of the hatch. Desmond crawls under the hatch, struggling to reach the system termination switch. When he inserts the key he flashes back to Penelopes letter. "All we need to survive is one man who truly loves us. I will wait for you, always. I love you" Penelope is heard narrating. Desmond proclaims his love for Penelope and turns the key. The immediate result of Desmond "blowing the dam" is not shown, but it does appear to cause a bright violet-white light and shrill humming sound to briefly envelop the entire island.
At the same time, Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley are seen being held captive by the Others, who appear to be led by Henry Gale. After the white-violet light and sound fades, Gale keeps his bargain with Michael, returning Walt to him and giving them a boat, which Gale tells Michael to take on a specific compass heading (3-2-5). He further assures Michael that the four captives on the docks will not be harmed, and that the Others are "the good guys."
Hurley is then released and sent back to the other survivors with a message that they are to stay away from the Others' part of the island. He departs, but only after the bound and gagged Jack gives him a nod. Before being hooded, Jack exchanges a look with Kate, who blinks her eyes in acknowledgment.
At the beach, Charlie is the only person to return from the hatch. The whereabouts of Desmond, Eko, and Locke have not been revealed. Charlie reconnects with Claire, they kiss, and it appears to be the end of the episode. But then, in what appears to be a cramped polar research station, two men speaking Portuguese (by their accent we can know that they are Brazilians) are seen playing chess. Their equipment begins beeping and on monitor screen a window has showed up: ">/ 7418880 Electromagnetic Anomaly Detected". One of them calls a woman, who is shown to be Penelope. He informs her that they have "found it," and the episode ends.
[edit] Desmond's flashbacks
The first flashback takes place at a military prison in the United Kingdom, where Desmond has just completed his sentence and is retrieving his personal effects, one of which is a novel, Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. When asked why he did not bring the novel inside the prison, Desmond replies that he has read "every wonderful word" of Charles Dickens' writing except for this book, and is saving it so that it will be the last thing that he reads before he dies. After exiting the prison, the wealthy industrialist Charles Widmore confronts Desmond, revealing to him that he prevented Penelope from receiving Desmond's letters. He tries to bribe Desmond to stay away from his engaged daughter.
In the next flashback, Desmond is in a cafe, where he meets Libby. In conversation it is revealed that he did not accept the bribe money. Desmond jokingly asks Libby for $42,000 for a sailboat, so that he can win a large prize from Penelope's father, the Widmore. Libby, moved by his story, offers him the boat of her late husband, David (who named his boat Elizabeth after her). Desmond accepts the boat, saying that he will win the race "for love."
Desmond's third flashback occurs at the point just before Jack and Desmond's meeting at the stadium in "Man of Science, Man of Faith". As Desmond is preparing to run, he is surprised to see Penelope arrive. He asks how she found him and she reminds him she has a lot of money. Desmond tells her he will return in a year, after he wins her father's race, saying that he first has "to get [his] honor back."
In Desmond's fourth flashback, he is riding out a storm on the Elizabeth. He manages to secure his copy of Our Mutual Friend to himself, before being knocked unconscious. He later washes up on the island, to be rescued by a man in a yellow HAZMAT suit, Kelvin Inman who takes him to the Swan and asks Desmond if he is "him". When Desmond is confused, Inman asks "What did one snowman say to the other snowman?", then realizes that Desmond is not his replacement. Inman teaches Desmond how to enter the numbers, which Inman describes as being needed to "save the world." Inman also instructs Desmond to inject himself with the vaccine every nine days to protect himself from an unnamed "disease" that he has been exposed to.
In another flashback, two years later, Desmond wheels a crushed metal box under the blast doors, which enables him to close them by shorting out some wires in a fuse box in the computer room without cutting off access between the kitchen and the computer room. Inman is seen painting the invisible map seen by Locke in "Lockdown" using a homemade solution consisting partially of laundry detergent, while regaling Desmond with tales of Radzinsky, his former partner. Desmond is skeptical of these, owing to Inman's never having actually described the man's fate. Inman gestures to a brown stain on the ceiling, saying that the man committed suicide by pointing a shotgun up his mouth.
Desmond is eager to see the outside world, but Inman refuses, saying Desmond couldn't survive in the hostile environment, despite Desmond's military experience. Inman mocks him, referring to Desmond's court martial due to insubordination. When Desmond asks in return why Inman abandoned his own military career, Inman says that his departure was due to the fact that "men followed [his] orders."
Another flashback shows Desmond awakening to find the timer with only 45 seconds remaining. After resetting it, he descends into a previously covered crawlspace beneath the computer room. There he discovers a drunken Inman playing with a key near an interface marked "System Termination." Inman describes the key as "the only other way out," saying that turning it will cause the Swan to "go away." He explains that the nearby geological features have a unique form of electromagnetism, and that the "incident" mentioned in the orientation filmstrip caused some sort of leak, which necessitates the release of built-up charge every 108 minutes.
Another flashback shows Desmond telling Inman that he will never abandon hope of returning to Penelope. Inman commends his optimism before leaving for the surface, saying "Goodbye" in a suspicious tone. Desmond notices a slit in Inman's suit (which would render it useless) and decides to follow him. Outside, he watches Inman dispose of his HAZMAT suit, and proceeds to the shore where the Elizabeth is moored, much to Desmond's surprise. Desmond confronts Inman, who admits having used Desmond as a pawn so that he could be free to fix the ship and flee the island. In the ensuing fight, Desmond pushes Inman down onto a rock and accidentally kills him. Desmond hastily rips the key from Inman's neck and returns to the Swan where he discovers that the timer has fully elapsed, and that the system has failed. An apparent magnetic anomaly is tearing the station apart, but Desmond manages to enter the numbers and things go back to normal.
In the very last flashback, Desmond is nursing a bottle of liquor and pondering over a handgun, before he opens Our Mutual Friend (suggesting that he is going to commit suicide) when a letter addressed to him falls out of the novel. He opens the letter to discover that Penelope wrote the letter before he left for prison, exhorting him to hold on to whatever hope he has and assuring him that she will wait for him always. Desmond flies into a fit of despondent rage, smashing records and books, realising that his last chance of getting Penelope back is now gone. Suddenly, he is interrupted by the sounds of Locke's first trying to break into the hatch (in Deus Ex Machina). In Locke's cries Desmond finds source of empathy, and turns on the light that shines up into Locke's eyes.
[edit] Trivia
- This episode aired as a 2-hour season finale in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (albeit in two episodes back to back in the latter), and aired as two separate episodes in Germany (on free and pay-TV), Australia, Brazil, Greece, Slovakia, Italy, Mexico, Republic of Ireland and Finland.
- The polar research station's equipment displays ">/ 7418880 Electromagnetic Anomaly Detected". 7418880 is the product of the numbers, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.
- The pier used in the episode is called Waikane Pier which was also used in movie 50 First Dates [1]
- Michael and Walt are told to follow a bearing of 325. 325 divided by 3 equals 108.3333333 (Recurring), This rounded off equals 108.
| Lost | |
|---|---|
| Production: | DVD releases | Episode list | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Soundtrack |
| Main characters: |
Ana Lucia | Ben | Boone | Charlie | Claire | Desmond | Hurley | Jack | Jin | Juliet | Kate Libby | Locke | Michael | Mr. Eko | Nikki | Paulo | Sawyer | Sayid | Shannon | Sun | Walt |
| Supporting characters: |
Alex | Bernard | Christian | Cindy | Ethan | The Others | Pickett | Rose | Rousseau | Tom |
| Organizations: | DHARMA Initiative | Hanso Foundation | Oceanic Airlines |
| Elements: | Crossover list | DHARMA Initiative stations | Flight 815 | Mythology | Thematic motifs |
| Miscellaneous: | Gary Troup | In popular culture | Lost Experience | Rachel Blake | Video game |
| Lost Season Two | |
|---|---|
| Man of Science, Man of Faith • Adrift • Orientation • Everybody Hates Hugo • ...And Found • Abandoned • The Other 48 Days • Collision • What Kate Did • The 23rd Psalm • The Hunting Party • Fire + Water • The Long Con • One of Them • Maternity Leave • The Whole Truth • Lockdown • Dave • S.O.S. • Two for the Road • ? • Three Minutes • Live Together, Die Alone | |
