Recap / Lost S01E24 & 25 "Exodus, Part 2"

Season 1, Episodes 24 and 25:

Exodus, Part 2

It's a long way down...

Written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse.

Directed by Jack Bender.

Locke: I think that's why you and I don't see eye-to-eye sometimes, Jack — because you're a man of science.

Jack: Yeah, and what does that make you?

Locke: Me, well, I'm a man of faith.

Flashbacks continue to depict the final hours before Oceanic 815 takes off. A man working for Mr. Paik threatens Jin, telling him that he knows about his plan to run away, and that he will never be free. Charlie fights with his one-night stand, a fellow addict, over his heroin stash. Michael calls his mother, and suggests that she could take Walt. Hurley encounters a long string of misfortunes on the morning of the flight, but gets on the plane just in time. Locke has to be carried onto the plane, since the airline's special wheelchair is missing.

At the Black Rock, Rousseau leaves the group after telling them where the dynamite is. Arzt demonstrates how to handle a stick, then promptly blows himself up by waving it around. The group take enough dynamite to blow the Hatch, as well as a backup in case something goes wrong. In the jungle, they are attacked by the Monster, which snatches Locke and tries to drag him underground. Locke tells Jack to let it take him, but Kate manages to scare it away with dynamite, and they get a glimpse of its form: a cloud of black smoke. They reach the Hatch, but Hurley sees the Numbers on the side of it and tries to tell them not to open it. Locke ignores him and blows it open, and he and Jack stare down a long shaft.

At the beach, Sayid leads the camp on a hike to the caves, and helps Shannon carry Boone's possessions. Rousseau arrives at the beach, looking for Sayid, and Claire suddenly remembers scratching Rousseau's arm. Rousseau takes Claire's baby and runs, hoping to trade him to the Others for Alex. Sayid and Charlie chase after her, with Claire instinctively calling her baby "Aaron", and begging Charlie to get him back. They come across the beechcraft, and Charlie takes one of the heroin-filled Virgin Mary statues. At night, they find Rousseau next to a signal fire she has made in the hopes of attracting the Others, but they are nowhere to be seen. She gives Aaron back to them, but insists she was not lying about the Others, and that she heard them say they were coming for "the boy".

On the raft, Jin gets the radar device working. At night, they pick up something on the radar. Michael sends up a flare, and a boat approaches. A bearded man tells the group that he's gonna have to take the boy. The boat's crew shoot Sawyer, kidnap Walt and blow up the raft.

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Tropes in this episode include:

• Affably Evil: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse nicknamed the bearded man who kidnaps Walt "Mr. Friendly" due to his polite demeanor.
• All for Nothing: Hurley's efforts to make it to the airport so he can get home in time for his mom's birthday; the plane he fought so hard to get to in time crashed on the Island, causing Hurley to miss his mother's birthday anyway.
• Anachronism Stew: Locke surmises that the Black Rock was carrying slaves to a mining colony. However, dynamite was invented in 1867, long after the international slave trade had ended. Season 6 would later clarify that the Black Rock was carrying Spanish prisoners to a penal colony.
• And Your Little Dog, Too!: Mr. Paik apparently didn't trust Jin to deliver the watches, and so sent "Hawaiian Shirt" to follow him. He tells Jin that if they try to run away, he will lose Sun.
• Armor-Piercing Question: After Sawyer admits that his father shot himself was Sawyer was eight, Michael asks "that why you wanna die, man?"; Sawyer is visibly affected by the question and confirms, though not in so many words, that Michael is right that he has a death wish.
• As You Know: "Hawaiian Shirt" tells Jin that he works for Mr. Paik, reminding him, and by extension the audience, that he's his employer and father-in-law.
• Batman Gambit: Rousseau approaches Charlie and Claire, desperately asking for Sayid, which sends Charlie running to find him, leaving Rousseau alone with Claire and her baby, which is exactly what Rousseau wants.
• Black Comedy: Locke jokingly compares handling old and unstable dynamite (which has already caused one person's death) to a game of Operation, even making the game's trademark buzz as he tries to handle a stick of it and saying he never could get the funny bone. Jack isn't overly comforted by Locke's attempt to lighten the mood.
• Butt-Monkey: Hurley goes through absolute hell to get to the plane. He oversleeps because his alarm clock shorted out the power socket. He tries to get on an elevator at the hotel, but it's packed, so he takes the stairs. His rental car gets a flat tire on his way to the airport. When he checks in, the agent has him buy an extra ticket due to his weight, even though he didn't need to on the flight to Australia. Then once he has his ticket, he finds he's actually in the Oceanic domestic terminal, not international, and the flight is already boarding. He tries to cut in line at the security checkpoint, but is forced back. He pays an old guy $1,600 for his electric scooter and arrives at the gate right as the door is closing, and has to plead with the attendant to be allowed on.
• Call-Back:
  • When Charlie asks Sayid for a gun, they both refer back to Charlie murdering Ethan.
  • Claire notices the same scratches on Rousseau's arm that Locke did, and remembers inflicting them (albeit with no other context).
  • In the final flashback, Boone produces Shannon's inhaler from his own bag, much to her appreciation.
• Cat Scare: The Black Rock expedition hear an inhuman screech... that turns out to be from a bird.
• Character Development:
  • As in the previous episode, the flashbacks emphasise how much the main cast has grown since the series started:
    • Charlie's flashback shows the pathetic junkie he was before the crash, fighting with a one-night stand over a small baggie of heroin, whereas his present-day scenes show him cleaned-up and determined to protect Claire and her baby.
    • Michael's flashback has him very uncomfortable with the idea of being a parent, even trying to convince his mother to look after Walt. The scene then cuts to Michael on the raft, now comfortable being a father and having formed a good relationship with Walt.
  • Sawyer and Sayid did not get along for much of the first half of the season, partly due to the former's racist and xenophobic attitudes. But here, Sawyer speaks admirably of Sayid while arguing with Michael over using the flare gun.
    Michael: We don't even know if Sayid's radar works!
    Sawyer: Have you ever known that guy to fix something up that don't work?
  • Jin and Michael also resolve their animosity over the watch, with Jin saying he can keep it.
• Chekhov's Gun: Subverted. It seems as though Sawyer will need to use the gun Jack gave him in the previous episode when Mr. Friendly threatens to take Walt, but he gets shot himself before he gets the chance.
• Cliffhanger:
  • The season ends on the shot of Jack and Locke staring down into the Hatch, without revealing what's inside it.
  • The raft storyline ends with all the characters in a state of Uncertain Doom, with Walt kidnapped, Sawyer shot in the shoulder, Jin diving into the sea to rescue him, Michael getting tossed in shortly afterward and the raft destroyed.
• Commonality Connection: Both Sawyer (who sings a few lines from "Redemption Songs") and Michael are fans of Bob Marley.
  Michael: You singin' Bob Marley?
  Sawyer: No. Why, you like Bob Marley?
  Michael: Man, who doesn't like Bob Marley?
• Death by Irony: Arzt is blown up mishandling dynamite while in the middle of giving a speech about how dangerously unstable it is.
• Death Seeker: Michael speculates that Sawyer is one of these, and Sawyer doesn't deny it.
  Michael: Since the day you told me you wanted on this raft, I couldn't figure it out. Why does a guy who only cares about himself want to risk his life to save everyone else? The way I see it, there's only two choices — you're either a hero or you want to die.
  Sawyer: Well, I ain't no hero, Mike.
• Determinator:
  • Despite taking a head injury, Charlie refuses to return to the camp without Aaron; he allows Sayid to painfully cauterise his wound so that he can push on after Rousseau.
  • In his flashback, Hurley faces so many obstacles, from oversleeping to checking in at the wrong terminal, that he would have missed the flight if he hadn't been so determined to be back for his mom's birthday.
• Didn't Think This Through: Kate's first thought is try and pry open a crate that reads "explosives" while still in the Black Rock's hold; Jack and Locke wisely decide to take the crate outside before trying to get it open.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • "Hawaiian Shirt" claims that Jin will lose Sun if he defies Mr. Paik, both unaware that Jin's work for Mr. Paik already made Sun want to leave Jin.
  • Hurley did everything in his power to reach the plane in time so he could get home for his mother's birthday, unaware that the plane would crash on the Island, causing him to miss the occasion anyway. To top it off, the check-in attendant remarks to him that it's his lucky day.
  • The final flashback has Jack and Locke exchanging a polite smile and nod, both unaware of the rivalry that will develop between them on the Island.
• Exact Words: Rousseau claims to have heard whispers saying the Others were coming to take "the boy". She assumes they were referring to Aaron, but it turns out they were actually after Walt.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: Arzt tells a story about the man who invented dynamite accidentally blowing himself with it, moments before exactly that happens to Arzt himself.
• Foil: Jack and Locke's conversation on the way to the Hatch sums up the contrast that defines their rivalry; as Locke puts it, Jack is a man of science, who sees opening the Hatch as a matter of survival and doesn't believe in destiny (though Locke believes that he does, but just isn't willing to admit it), while Locke himself is a man of faith, who considers opening the Hatch to be a matter of destiny.
• Foreshadowing: While Locke sets up the dynamite to blow the hatch, Jack privately tells Kate that they're gonna have a "Locke problem" and he needs to know if he can count on her.
• Forgiveness: After her being angry over him preventing her from killing Locke, Shannon and Sayid reconcile once Sayid and Charlie return from rescuing Aaron.
• Friendship Moment: Michael tries to return to Jin the watch that started their animosity, but Jin, now considering Michael a friend and no longer caring about his father-in-law, insists that Michael keep it.
• The Glomp: After finally making it to the gate to board Flight 815, Hurley gratefully scoops up the airline employee who let him through at the last second.
• Heal It With Fire: After Charlie sustains a wound on his forehead from one of Rousseau's traps, Sayid cauterises it by putting some gunpowder on it and lighting it with a match.
• Hope Spot: The raft crew makes contact with a boat, seemingly rescuing them. Then, the bearded man says they need to take Walt.
• Hypocrite:
  • Arzt admonishes Jack and Locke for not handling a crate of dynamite carefully enough (which is fairly reasonable), only to then carelessly wave a stick of it around, blowing himself to kingdom come.
  • Lily, Charlie's one-night stand in Sydney, derides him as pathetic... after losing a struggle with him for a bit of heroin, having feigned interest in his band just to get some.
• Innocently Insensitive: Unaware of his past drug habit, Sayid shows Charlie the heroin stored on the Beechcraft, which seriously tempts Charlie to relapse.
• Ironic Echo Cut: At the airport, Jin is threatened by "Hawaiian Shirt" to deliver the watch and return to Korea, or he will lose Sun. He adds that Jin is not free and never will be. It then cuts to Jin on the raft, happily setting sail and free from his past.
• Irony: Locke blamed the Others for the destruction of the first raft to protect Walt; here, the second raft is actually destroyed by the Others, who kidnap Walt.
• It Began with a Twist of Fate:
  • If Hurley had not overcome every single one of the multiple misshaps on his way from his hotel room to the departure gate, he would have missed the flight.
  • While at the gate, Oceanic is unable to find the wheelchair for loading disabled passengers, so Locke would have been placed on a flight the following day if one of the flight attendants hadn't offered to carry him on board.
• It's All My Fault: Hurley, still seeing himself as bad luck, blames himself for Arzt's death.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Arzt is obnoxious and whiny, but he does have a point about the main cast having a cliquey group and showing very little regard for the other survivors. That said, his point being reasonable doesn't make his complaints any less annoying, prompting a bored Hurley to tell Arzt that it's all in his head.
  • Michael, in his flashback, tries to convince his mother to look after Walt, seeming to try and get out of his parenting duties (which, to be fair, were hoisted on him unexpectedly), but the points he raises (his small living space and early work hours) are valid.
• Killed Mid-Sentence: Arzt suddenly explodes in the middle of a lecture on how to handle dynamite safely.
• Kubrick Stare: Sawyer glares when Mr. Friendly insists that they're taking Walt, just before drawing his gun in the boy's defense.
• Lampshade Hanging: Arzt openly questions why Hurley hasn't lost any weight after being stuck on an island with a limited food supply for over a month.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Discussed; Sun asks Shannon if fate is punishing the survivors for their actions, but Claire, brooding over her baby being stolen by Rousseau, remarks that they aren't being punished and that there's no such thing as fate.
• Ludicrous Gibs: Arzt is blown to smithereens by a stick of dynamite; Hurley, sounding like he's fighting not to be sick, notices that a piece of the man landed on Jack's shoulder.
• Madness Mantra: Hurley starts yelling "the Numbers are bad" over and over when he sees them on the side of the Hatch, with the others having no idea what he's talking about.
• Message in a Bottle: Once they're away from the shore Sawyer starts reading the messages from the bottle the other survivors put together. On reading one message, he wonders who "Hugo" is and how he has $160 million to leave to his mom.
• Mood Whiplash: We cut from Hurley's heavily comedic flashback in which he races to get to the gate to him reciting the numbers like a madman.
• Momma's Boy: Hurley apparently left his entire fortune to his mother in case he doesn't survive, and his flashback shows him doing everything possible to get home in time for his mother's birthday.
• More Hero than Thou: Jack and Kate argue over who gets to take on the dangerous task of carrying dynamite in their backpack. After drawing straws, it's determined that Locke and Kate should carry it, but Jack puts Kate's in his own backpack anyway, much to her outrage when she finds out.
• Nerves of Steel: Zig-zagged; Locke initially goes to face the Monster without any sign of fear, but when he sees it up close, he flees in terror. When it actually gets a hold of him, however, Locke tries to convince Jack to let him go, believing that the Monster wouldn't have killed him, seeing the whole thing as a test of his faith.
• Never My Fault: Locke describes Boone's death as "a sacrifice the Island demanded", though he's visibly uncomfortable saying so to Jack.
• Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Despite admitting that Susan didn't want him to be a part of Walt's life, Michael frames it as Susan wanting what was best for Walt rather than accurately putting it down to Susan's own selfishness; having grown close to his father, Walt doesn't hesitate to say that his mother was wrong.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The raft crew using their flare gun to attract a boat, hoping for rescue; the boat in question turns out to belong to the Others, who were drawn to the raft's position by the flare.
• "Not So Different" Remark: When Charlie calls Rousseau insane for trying to trade Aaron for Alex, Sayid points out that Rousseau is a mother who lost her child, just like Claire is now.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • While Jin is in the airport bathroom, a white man in a Hawaiian shirt asks for a paper towel but realizes he doesn't speak English. Then the man starts speaking flawless Korean, and says he works for Mr. Paik.
  • Jack, Kate, and Hurley all turn and run when the Monster makes it's presence known.
  • Hurley is horrified to see the Numbers etched onto the side of the Hatch, and he starts yelling for Locke not to blow open the Hatch.
  • The joyous mood from the raft crew vanishes instantly when Mr. Friendly says "we're gonna have to take the boy".
• Pet the Dog: After his previous appearances showed him to be a whining and self-important jerkass, the final flashback shows Dr. Arzt helping Claire load her luggage in an overhead compartment and smiling warmly at her.
• Plucky Comic Relief: All of the flashbacks for this three-parter show the characters at pretty low points just before they boarded the flight, like Jack drinking at the airport bar, Charlie fighting a junkie for the last of his heroin, and Locke being brought onboard in the most humiliating way possible. Hurley's flashback is a moment of levity as he overcomes numerous setbacks to get to the airport.
• Real After All: Just as it seems as though Rousseau made up the entire story about the Others, with Charlie openly questioning if they're even real at all, they prove that they are by attacking the raft and kidnapping Walt.
• The Reveal: The final flashback reveals that Spanish language comic that Walt was seen reading throughout the season originally belonged to Hurley.
• Running Gag: Sawyer confuses Steve with Scott, despite Scott (as Walt points out) being dead.
• Say My Name: In one of the show's most famous scenes, Michael screams Walt's name as he watches him disappear into the night.
  "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLTTTTTTT!!! No! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL—" [cut to black]
• Sensor Suspense: Sawyer and Michael argue over whether to fire the flare when they see a blip on the radar screen.
• Shout-Out: Sawyer calls Michael and Jin "Han and Chewie".
• Surprisingly Sudden Death: Arzt is blown up, mid-sentence, before the eyes of his fellow survivors.
  Hurley: That was messed up.
  Kate: Yeah.
  Hurley: He just... exploded... in front of us...
• Too Dumb to Live: Arzt blows himself up by waving a stick of moldy old dynamite around, despite the fact that he himself is the one trying to explain to everybody how carefully it needs to be handled.
• Tragic Keepsake: Shannon insistently holds on to Boone's things, still struggling with his death. Seeing her need for that small comfort, Sayid helps her carry Boone's things up to the caves.
• Uncertain Doom: Sawyer is shot and falls off of the raft; Jin dives into the water after him, but the episode (and the season) ends without confirming Sawyer's fate.
• Unseen No More: The Monster finally makes an onscreen appearance, manifesting as a menacing cloud of black smoke.
• Wham Episode: The survivors finally get the Hatch open, and the Others finally confirm their existence by attacking the raft, kidnapping Walt, and leaving Michael, Jin and Sawyer for dead.
• Wham Line: The raft crew thinks the boat they've stumbled across is going to rescue them, until Mr. Friendly hits them with one.
  "Only the thing is, we're gonna have to take the boy."
• The World's Expert (on Getting Killed): Arzt is clearly knowledgeable about chemistry and nitroglycerin. This knowledge doesn't stop him from getting a little too careless and blowing himself to Ludicrous Gibs (while talking about how unstable it is).
• Would Hurt a Child: Sawyer compliments Michael on his patience as a parent, saying he would have shown Walt the back of his hand a long time ago. That said, when Mr. Friendly announces his intention to take Walt, Sawyer's expression darkens instantly, and he draws a gun in Walt's defense.

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