ABC airs the 53rd episode of the J.J. Abrams-produced series Lost. Nathan Fillion (Firefly) guest stars. The series will return in 2007, with the remainder of the third season airing without interruption.
Flashback: Hiding out in Miami, Kate is trying to settle down. She’s taken the name Monica and is about to marry Kevin, a police officer. At first she’s happy to have found a home. She even calls the marshal pursuing her to ask him to back off, but he replies that they both know that she’s going to keep running and he’s going to keep coming after her. When Kevin tells her to get a passport so they can take a delayed honeymoon to Costa Rica, and she briefly thinks she might be pregnant, Kate decides that it’s time to move on again.
The Island: In order to avoid distressing the castaways on the beach, Locke decides to bury Eko near the Pearl hatch. He takes a detour into the jungle to find Ekp’s prayer stick to use as a grave marker. But as he hammers it into the ground, a particular inscription catches his eye, telling him to lift up his eyes.
Kate watches Pickett threaten Sawyer, and becomes convinced that the man, grieving over Colleen’s death, means to kill Sawyer. Those fears are only raised when Alex storms into the quarry, attacking the Others with a slingshot, demanding to know what happened to her boyfriend – the man Sawyer saw try to escape. Sawyer, meanwhile, seems resigned and practically defeated. When Kate wants to escape, Sawyer tells her there’s no point – they’re on a smaller island, totally cut off from their own. There’s no place to run, but Sawyer didn’t want her to lose hope. They kiss, then make love, and as they lay together in Sawyer’s cage, Sawyer tells her that he loves her.
Jack tells Ben that he has about a week before the tumor becomes inoperable, but he doesn’t plan to do the surgery. After all, he has no reason to believe anything the Others tell him. Even when Kate comes in, pleading with him to do the surgery so that Sawyer won’t be killed, he refuses. Some time after Kate’s visit, the door to his cell opens. Jack makes his way to the surveillance room, where he finds a gun – and a monitor showing Kate and Sawyer huddled together. Ben appears behind him, admitting his surprise. Jack says he’ll do the surgery – anything to get off the island.
Once Ben is in surgery, Pickett storms out to find Sawyer. He’s clearly angry that Ben has put himself in Jack’s hands, and mentions that Jack wasn’t even on someone named Jacob’s list. He decides to get his revenge on Sawyer then and there. But Jack makes a sudden incision in Ben, and his vitals suddenly change. Jack demands that Mr. Friendly bring the walkie talkie into the operating room. He does, and tells Pickett to let them go and put Kate on the line. Jack tells her that she’s going to get a one hour head start on the Others, and that she has to run. When she’s away, she should tell Kate the story he told her the day they first met on the beach. Otherwise, Jack will let Ben die.
written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
directed by Tucker Gates
music by Michael GiacchinoGuest Cast: Kiele Sanchez (Nikki), Rodrigo Santoro (Paulo), M.C. Gainey (Mr. Friendly), Tania Raymonde (Alex), Michael Bowen (Pickett), Nathan Fillion (Kevin), Eden-Lee Murray (Suzanne), Mark Stitham (Minister), Frederic Lane (The Marshal)
Notes: This episode was advertised as the “fall season finale,” with the series taking an extended break in order to be able to run the remaining episodes of the season without any breaks or reruns.
LogBook entry by Dave Thomer