Get LOST: There's No Place Like Home, Pt. II

Posted by Ben Piper on 06.05.2008

The first of a two-part column.



Hello, everyone. Welcome back once again to the only 411 column solely devoted to what I truly feel is the very best TV show airing in this day and age, LOST. As always, I am your favorite time traveling bunny with a number fifteen stenciled upon his back, Ben Piper.

C'mon, you knew I'd work my tried and true intro back into the mix somehow.

While I shall do so again once we get to the end of this great big thing that is the recap and analysis of the Lost season four finale, I'd like to say thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read all the related columns previous. I have enjoyed spending my time writing about this great show that I truly love and am passionate about. I've also been heartened by the comments and emails I have received, both positive and negative during this ongoing process. At this time, first and foremost, I just want to sincerely thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. I've worked my ass off. I truly feel that you all not only get that, but you also appreciate it as well. That's the juice I need. Sincerest guy nod to you all. Thank you a thousand times over. If I were writing this in a vacuum, I'd be completely screwed. The fact that all of you have read my stuff and enjoyed it (for the most part, Jack apologists notwithstanding) truly means the world to me. Thank you for sharing the journey with me, and sharing your theories and opinions along the way. I couldn't ask for anything more.

That said, based upon previous experience, we're going to have to do this thing in two parts. When I wrote up last season's two part finale, I found that at a certain point, the 411 website had a word limit for the columns that were posted.

So, yeah. If you want to skip ahead to the final analysis, you've clicked the wrong link. I'm still working on completing the full deal, so I apologize, but you're going to have to wait a day or so.

Let's do this. 411's official recap of LOST's season four finale begins now!

What We Learned: The episode begins where the season three finale left off, in flash-forward moments after Jack implored Kate that "THEY HAVE TO GO BACK", she slams on the brakes of her car, backs up quickly, gets out, and proceeds to fervently take him to task on a great number of things. She yells at him about his calling her for two days straight while he was stoned on pills, and showing up tonight with an obituary for Jeremy Bentham. She tells him that Bentham came to her, and she heard what he had to say, but it was the ramblings of a mad person. She finds it incredible that Jack believed him. Jack, of all people. Jack tries to argue that he was told it was the only way he could keep Kate and Aaron safe. She then slaps the taste out of his mouth, hissing at him not to utter the boy's name. She angrily states that she still has to explain to the little boy why Jack is no longer there to read to him at night so he has lost the right to even speak of him. Jack whispers an apology. Kate says that she's spent the last three years trying to forget all the horrible things that occurred on the day that they left, so how DARE he ask her to go back? She turns, gets in he car, and speeds away.

Back on the island, Jack is looking a bit unsteady on his feet, and Sawyer calls him out for it. Jack says he's fine, and when Sawyer begins to call him out on that, Jack recoils and silently urges Sawyer to hunker down, as they have come upon some architecture in the middle of the jungle. Sawyer asks if this is what they are looking for, but Jack doesn't know. Sawyer asks "Sundance" what the plan is. Before he can answer a noise behind them startles them both. They whirl around to find Hurley standing with his back to them, reliving himself. Sawyer calls out to him, and Hurley excitingly responds, quickly zipping up his pants. James asks if his friend is alright, but Hurley is just so surprised and stoked that Sawyer came back for him that he asks in turn how he knew where he was. Sawyer looks towards Jack, and Hurley's enthusiasm dies down, considering the last time Jack and Hurley crossed paths wasn't a happy occasion. Jack tells him it's good to see him. Hurley smiles and reciprocates. Sawyer asks "where the hell is he", meaning of course, Locke.

As the trio make their way into the heart of the above ground Orchid station, they find Locke, toiling away. Jack calls out to him, and a surprised Locke turns and returns the greeting.

On the freighter, Des walks around the mass of C4 that has been assembled in the armory. He surmises that there's enough explosives here to blow up an aircraft carrier. He explains that when he was in the army, he spent six months in explosive ordinance disposal, with the old joke being that is just enough time to learn how to blow oneself up. Michael asks if it's on a timer, for why else has it not gone off yet? Desmond explains that it's operated by remote control due to the radio receiver being front and center. Jin wonders if they can turn it off. Des shakes his head in frustration, and proceeds to point out how all the ways he knows to do so results in a really large explosion, nonetheless.

Back at the Orchid, Jack asks Locke what he's doing, and gets an explanation about there being a Dharma station lurking beneath the surface that John is looking to find a way into. Jack asks for what? Locke then requests that Hurley and Sawyer give him and Jack some alone time to talk, but Jack deems this unnecessary as they are only here to collect Hurley. Locke implores that Jack needs to hear what he has to say, but Jack throws it back that all he needs to do is to get back to the copter, get on it, and get everyone else off of the island. Hurley points out that this would be a bad idea, seeing as the Mercs now have been and left for the copter about an hour ago. Jack asks Locke why would Ben do that, and Locke just smiles.

Meanwhile, Ben is being marched through the jungle with his hands bound in front of him. Keamy wonders aloud what it is that makes him so important in the grand scheme of things, that Widmore would pay him so much money to come to the island to capture Ben alive. Ben asks if Widmore instructed Keamy to kill Alex. This is interrupted by the fact that they are now back at the chopper as Keamy spots Frank trying to get out of his handcuffs. As the big jarhead in charge wonders how Lapidus got his hands on the toolbox, Frank curses his own luck at being discovered. As Keamy begins to ask Frank about how he got to the toolbox, a rustling in the underbrush gathers his and the rest of the Mercs attention. All guns point towards the sound, to find a sweaty Kate scurrying into view. Keamy orders her to halt, as she anxiously takes a look behind her. He asks who she is, and she answers honestly. He asks why is she running, and she states that she's being chased by Ben's people. Keamy starts ordering the Mercs to fan out and take care of the situation as he grabs Kate by her wrist and forces her to her knees next to Ben. Kate and Ben lock eyes for a moment, and it becomes apparent that they both know that stuff is about to go down. As the Mercs cautiously head out into the jungle, ghostly whispering can be heard coming from all directions. As they all look around in confusion, an Other drops out of a tree and dropkicks once mercenary in the chest before cinching up his neck and snapping it. Movement can be spotted in the jungle here and there. Another Merc has his legs cut out from under him from behind, and as he lands hard his weapon discharges. More quick movement can be seen, and the firefight between the unfriendly freighter folk and the Others begins in earnest. As Lapidus takes cover in the midsection of the chopper, Kate tells Ben to stay close to her. One Merc gets taken out in a "shocking" callback to the season two finale. (When Kate, Jack, Sawyer, and Hurley were all captured by the Others) Kate tells Ben to run, and they both take off at the same time. Keamy sees this, and prepares to fire at them, when Lapidus yells GRENADE! Keamy turns and kicks the explosive away from him, but as a result, it lands next to Omar, and thusly takes him out of the equation.

Clearly pissed off, Keamy sets off after Ben and Kate. As they are being chased through the jungle, Ben stumbles and falls hard. Kate actually takes the time to go back for him and help him to his feet. Just as he's about to catch up to them, Keamy is cross-checked out of nowhere by a hard-charging Sayid. And at this point, the fight is on! It's really good and intense, but it would appear that Keamy has the upper hand when shots ring out from behind, striking Keamy several times in the back. Turns out, Richard Alpert is the shooter that had Sayid's back, as the Others emerge from the underbrush in full force. A moment later, Kate and Ben show up, and Kate rushes to Sayid's side. They smile at one another that this play proved to be successful, then look out it to the apparent dead eyes of Keamy. Ben thanks Richard for coming, with is met with a less than enthusiastic "my pleasure". Kate picks up the discarded knife that Sayid used to stab his opponent at one point in the confrontation, and Ben asks if she'd cut his hands free. She finds this a tad ironic, before sighing and doing just that. Ben turns and asks Richard what "the arrangement" was. Richard explains that in exchange for helping the Others free Ben, they in turn allow them to leave the island. Quickly, Ben deems this to be fair enough. He tells Kate that the copter is now theirs, and wishing her and Sayid to have a safe journey back. Kate can't believe that it's just that cut and dry. She asks again if they can really leave, and he reiterates what he just said.

Flash-forward: As Hurley fumbles to open a fruit roll-up in the common room of the sanitarium in which he's being kept, an older black woman and an orderly approaches. The black woman thanks the orderly and proceeds to as Hugo if he's Hurley. Yeah, he responds. She asks if he's dangerous. For obvious reasons, Hurley is confused by this and asks if he knows her. She states no, he doesn't know her, but that he knows her Grandson. Hurley cranes his neck to look beyond the woman before him, and spots Walt (!) standing back at a safe distance. The woman informs Hurley that they've traveled across the country just so Walt could see him, so she wants to know in advance if he's going to do anything crazy. Hurley assures her that he won't. Satisfied, she waves Walt over, and he approaches and sits opposite of Hugo. The boy looks noticeably older than we remember him. He's visibly nervous, so Hurley breaks the ice by saying "hi" first. Walt returns the favor. Hurley says that he's getting big. This draws a weak half-smile. Walt says that when the Oceanic Six returned, he was waiting for one of them to come see him. As he says this you can tell he was hurt by the slight. Hurly apologizes for this. Walt asks Hurley if he knows who DID come see him? He answers his own question by stating Jeremy Bentham. This causes Hurley's eyes to grow wide. Walrt says that he doesn't understand why everyone is lying about what happened. Hurley looks around to ensure nobody is listening, and then leans in close to Walt so only he can hear. He tells him that they're lying because it's the only way to protect everyone that didn't come back. Walt asks "like my dad"? Hurley confirms this. Walt looks down, and then back up into Hurley's eyes, as if sizing him up, but the big guy remains steadfast in his assertion, never looking away.

Back on the island, Hugo continues to partake of fifteen year old saltine crackers as Sawyer spies on Jack and Locke's conversation from a distance using binoculars. Sawyer wonders what they could be talking about, and Hurley responds "leader stuff"? This causes Sawyer to scoff. James notices Hurley eating the crackers and wonders where he got them. Hurley imparts the backstory before offering to share, saying that they're good. Sawyer takes one and seems to agree with the assessment. Hurley then thanks Sawyer for coming back for him, which the con man quickly dismisses with a shrug of his shoulders and an "ah, you got it" verbal response.

Subtext: For you, dude… Any day of the week.

Hurley then asks if Claire and Aaron are okay, and Sawyers mood suddenly darkens, and he suddenly cannot look Hurley in the eye.

Meanwhile, the argument between Faith vs. Science rages on as Jack and Locke verbally spar.

Jack: What did you want to talk to me about, John?

Locke: I want you to reconsider leaving the island, Jack. I would like you to stay.

Jack: (Incredulous) You would like me to stay?

Locke: Yeah. That's right.

Jack: (sighing) You threw a knife into the back of an unarmed woman. You led half of our people across the island and got MOST of them killed!

Locke: Well, Jack. You put a gun to my head and you pulled the trigger. (shrugs) I was hoping we could let bygones be bygones.

Jack: Well, I'll tell you what. You stay here in your little greenhouse, but the rest of us are going home.

Jack moves to leave.

Locke: But you're not supposed to go home!

Jack: What am I SUPPOSED to do?! Oh, I think I remember. What was it that you said on the way out to the hatch? That crashing here was our destiny?

Locke: You know Jack! You know that you're here for a reason. You know it. And if you leave this place, that knowledge is going to eat you alive. From the inside out, until you decide to come back.

Jack clearly isn't buying into the argument presented.

Jack: Goodbye, John.

Jack again turns to depart, but Locke is quick to change the subject.

Locke: You're going to have to lie!

This stops Jack in his tracks. He can't help himself to further the conversation that he had already decided to end.

Jack: Excuse me?

Locke: (pleading) After you go? Then you have to lie about everything, everything that's happened since we got to the island. It's the only way to protect it.

Jack: (Sneering) It's an ISLAND, John. No one NEEDS to protect it!

Locke: (Whispering) It's not an island. It's a place where miracles happen.

Jack shakes his head in total disregard.

Locke: And, and if you don't believe that, Jack? If you can't believe that? Just wait until you see what I'm about to do.

Jack: (deadset) There is no such thing as miracles.

Locke nods in acknowledgment of the argument presented before him.

Locke: Well, we'll just have to see which one of us is right.

As Locke turns to set back to his work, a new voice makes his presence known, causing Jack to whirl around and point his pistol in that direction.

Ben: Am I interrupting? (Responding to having a gun pointed at him) Nice to see you too, Jack. (To Locke) Couldn't find the Anthuriums, could you?

Locke: I don't know what they look like!

It's a brief moment played for comedic effect, and it works. Ben rustles the plants he mentioned while Locke throws his hands up as if to say "how in the hell could I have known". Ben slides open a secret compartment that reveals an elevator. All of this transpires as Jack looks on.

Jack: What are you doing?

Ben: Didn't you tell him?

Locke: I tried.

Ben: Sayid and Kate are waiting for you at the helicopter. I understand that your people from the beach are being brought to the freighter even as we speak.

Jack: What?

Ben: I'd love to fill you in on everything you've missed, Jack. But you, Hugo, James, you need to get moving. I'd want to be on that boat within the hour. Goodbye, Jack. (To Locke) Let's go.

As Ben moves inside, Locke steps towards Jack.

Locke: Lie to them, Jack. If you can do it half as well as you lie to yourself, they'll believe you.

Oh, snap. I believe I just completely marked out and leapt from my seat.

Locke proceeds to join Ben inside the elevator, and Jack and Locke stare at one another one last time as Ben and John proceed to lower into the earth.

Back on the freighter, Michael is up on the deck, maneuvering a canister with a handcart when Sun approaches him. She asks what's going on down below, and Michael responds by asking his own query; has she told anyone about all that damned C4? As she cradles and rocks Aaron in her arms, she states that she hasn't. She asks if it can be turned off? He tells her that it isn't even turned on yet, but if what is in the tank he's moving does what it's supposed to do, everything will turn out okay. He then tells her that he'll send Jin upstairs, for there's no need for him to be down there with him when he can be up here with her. She then awkwardly blurts out the fact that she's preggers. This stops Michael momentarily, as she smiles. He nods his head and smiles in turn, wishing his congrats. HE then picks up the canister manually, and heads below deck with it.

Once Michael is back in the armory, Des wonders what he plans on doing with that canister he's bearing. "Freeze it" Michael responds. He explains that it's liquid nitrogen and that they use it in the refrigeration hold. He goes on to explain how he can use the nitrogen to freeze the battery and hopefully forestall any impeding explosion. Desmond asks what's the catch, which turns out to be that they only have one canister. Once it's gone, they're right back where they started. Des wonders if they should save it for once the light turns red, but Michael points out that if that light turns red and the battery isn't already frozen, it'll be the last thing that all of them will ever see. Mike surmises that either way, it'll buy them some time. Des says okay, and that he should get to it while himself and Jin trace back all the wirework.

Back at the beach, Daniel is returning with the raft. Several redshirts and Juliet run out to meet him. Juliet asks him some questions about everyone getting to the boat safe and if it's getting any closer. Daniel answers positively in both regards. He says he's just going to get himself a bottle of water and then he'll be ready to head back. Juliet says she'll organize the next group before she thanks him for doing this. He says absolutely, but once he turns away from her, a worried look crosses his face.

Miles meanwhile is sitting enjoying some Dharma branded peanuts. Rose asks him who told him he can have them. After a moment he sheepishly asks if he may have them, which prompts Rose to point a finger and state she's going to be keeping an eye on him. Dan shows up and asks Miles and Charlotte to gather for a brief meeting. Daniel says he's leaving in ten minutes and he wants to be sure that both of them are with him on that trip. Miles flatly states that he's staying. Faraday replies that he doesn't think Miles is grasping the direness of the circumstance. Miles says that Daniel is very dire, but that he's not going anywhere. Charlotte appears to be down with leaving, but once Dan walks away and she starts packing up her stuff, Miles begins to question her, stating he's surprised she's wanting to leave. He says that it's just weird after all the time she spent trying to get BACK here. She doesn't understand what he means by that, and he cryptically repeats her question back to her.

At the Orchid, Ben and Locke are still engaged in a very long and slow elevator ride down. Locke ask how deep is the station. "Deep" replies Ben. Finally they come to a stop and Ben heads inside, turning on the lights and powering up the station with Locke in tow looking around. John's eyes fix upon a space with double doors and asks if that's the "magic box". Ben says that it isn't. As Ben continues to turn things on Locke asks him what this station is for. Same thing as all the others, Ben replies, silly experiments. Locke wants to know what kind of experiments. Growing quickly tired of being bogged down by Locke's curiosity, Ben offers to allow John to watch an informative orientation video for the Orchid, more so Ben can get his work done rather than satisfy John's need to know. As Locke plugs in the tape, Ben throws a switch and the double doors slide open. He then proceeds to load the space within with as many of the nearby items that aren't nailed down as he possibly can. On the video, Dr. Marvin Candle now introduces himself as Dr. Edgar Halliwax. He begins by stating the obvious, the Orchid is not a botanical research unit. He explains that the unique properties of the Island have created a Casimir Effect, which allows the Initiative to conduct unusual experiments in both space and time. Holding a white rabbit with the number 15 stenciled upon it, Halliwax/Candle introduces of to the Vault, the very same small room that Ben is currently cramming objects into. Apparently the Vault sits next to a pocket of negatively charged exotic matter. Halliwax/stresses the fact that inorganic materials should not be left inside the chamber, and metallic objects are especially a big no-no. No sooner than this is said Locke notices Ben placing a stainless steel garbage bin inside. After he's placed the rabbit inside the chamber, Halliwax/Candle explains that they will "shift" the test subject for 100 milliseconds. Just then, the tape begins to rewind all on it's own. Locke tries to stop this but to little success. Finally he gives up and stops Ben from what he's doing, asking if Halliwax/Candle was talking about what he thinks he was talking about. Ben says time traveling bunnies? Check. Ben continues to load the chamber with a bunch of stuff that shouldn't be in there, and Locke asks if he knows this little factoid, to which Ben simply nods affirmatively once. As he moves for more items, he is stopped in his tracks by the sound of the elevator now going back up. Locke asks him if he's expecting anybody. Ben asks for his collapsible baton back.

Back at the copter, Hurley, Sawyer and Jack all arrive back to find Kate and Sayid already there. Hurley runs up and hugs Sayid as Kate tries to help Frank out of his handcuffs. When she sees Sawyer, she smiles. Her smile fades once she spots Jack dragging his heels and looking a little worse for wear. Sawyer looks over the dead body of a merc and asks if the guy said something to make Kate angry, to which she answers she didn't kill that one. Sawyer wonders which one did she kill as he watches her walk over to Jack and show her concern. He asks about Aaron and learns that he's with Sun on the freighter. She asks if he's okay and he states that he is now. Sawyer notices "Kenny Rogers" struggling with the handcuffs and offers to help, taking out a hacksaw from the toolbox. For safety, Sawyer places a wrench between the cuff and Lapidus' wrist and proceeds to saw away until it finally gives. Jack and Sayid quickly catch up on previous events. Once free, Frank calls out for them all to get the hell out of there. They all jump on board, happy to be finally getting off of the island. They lift off, and are all smiles as they look down upon the island below.

At the Orchid, the elevator touches back down and opens to reveal the boots of a man wearing military fatigues. He reaches into his boot and produces a knife before heading inside, dripping blood behind him as he walks. It's Keamy, very much alive and pulling a "Patchy". He calls out to Ben, saying he knows that he's there crouching in the dark and waiting to take a shot at him. He advises that he aims for the head, and not shoot him in the back like his boyfriend did. Ben hides somewhere undisclosed as Keamy continues to yak, saying that the body armor he's wearing has been known to take a bullet or two in it's time. He then advices that before Ben takes his shot he should know about the device that's strapped to his arm. He considers it a insurance policy. It's a heart-rate monitor that's connected to a radio receiver, or a dead man's trigger. If his heart should stop beating a radio signal will be sent out to the 500 pounds of C4 that he's got hard-wired on the freighter. That would most assuredly kill a lot of innocent people. Then Keamy goes below the belt, reminding Ben of how Alex looked when she bled out face down on the grass. At this point, Locke steps into view, holding his hands up behind Keamy. He doesn't make a move towards him, but does make sure that he knows that he's there. Keamy asks who he is, and Locke answers. John goes on to say that he has no conflict with Keamy, and neither do the people on the boat. He asks that he puts the knife down so they can talk about it. No sooner than Keamy states that he's never been one for talk, Ben bursts out of his hiding place and uses his baton to knock the knife from his hand and quickly pummel him to the floor. He then picks up the knife and proceeds to stab Keamy twice in the throat area whiles vengefully proclaiming that he killed his daughter. Locke quickly pulls him off, but it would appear to be a moment too late, the damage is done. John asks Ben what he just did, as the heart-rate monitor begins to beep. He tells him that he's just killed everyone on board of that boat. Ben looks Locke coldly in the eyes and responds "so?"

At the beach, Faraday catches up with Charlotte, at which time she informs him that she's decided to stay after all. At least for now. Daniel implores her that there is no "for now". If she doesn't leave now, it could mean forever. She says that nothing's forever. He wants to know why. She asks if it would make any sense that she was still looking for where she was born. Daniel says no, and they both laugh at the absurdity. She kisses his cheek as he touches her face and she tells him goodbye before walking off. He makes his way back to the raft and is approached by Juliet. Basing his judgment on what occurred previously with Miles and Charlotte, he surmises that Juliet won't be coming either. She tells him that she promised she wouldn't leave until everyone got safely off of the island. She tells him to relax, for she'll still be here when he gets back. Right he says, when he gets back. A certain sadness washes over his face, as if he already knows that this may not be a possibility somehow. She spots it, but says nothing. Faraday and his crew of redshirts then head back into the water.

On the freighter, as Michael freezes the battery, Desmond thinks he's on to something. He begins to cut a wire that he thinks will disarm the firing mechanisms. Michael visibly cringes as he watches. At the last second, Jin yells for him to stop and points out the problem with that idea. Desmond curses and is frustrated that he just doesn't know enough about this sort of thing. He lashes out, asking how they know that freezing idea will even work. Michael fires back that they'll know if the light turns red and they're all still there. Desmond nods, and pulls back from his anger, realizing they are all on the same team. He asks how much nitro his left, and Michael says a quarter of the tank. Desmond wonders what will happen if they can't deactivate the bomb. Michael responds that they'll need to get everyone off of the boat.

Meanwhile, the chopper is out over the open water, heading to the freighter's location. Lapidus looks down at the control panel and notices that the fuel gauge is suddenly decreasing at an alarming rate. He flicks it with his finger, as if that's the best way to ensure his gauges aren't going all buggy on him. Sayid asks what's the matter, and Frank tells him that they're losing fuel. He yells for everyone to peer outside to see if they can spot any fuel leaks. Sayid does, spotting what could be a result of a errant bullet during the firefight between the Mercs and the Others. Franks says that they have to find a place to set the copter down. Jack yells for him not to land back on the island, for there's no fuel on there. If they should go back, the copter would be rendered useless. And panicked Frank exclaims that he doesn't see the boat, to which Jack yells at him to keep looking. As the fuel gauge dwindles down dangerously low, Lapidus states that every ounce of extra weight has to be jettisoned. Everything that isn't bolted down is to be tossed out. Everyone obliges, tossing pretty much everything overboard in rapid succession. Jack asks if that's enough, will they make it? Frank says he'd feel better if they were a few hundred pounds lighter. Cut to a shot of Hurley, looking guilty. As Sawyer looks down upon the water below, Frank says that they're still near enough to be able to ditch close to the beach. Jack yells at him to DO NOT go back to the island! Frank says that they may not have a choice. At this point Sawyer makes a conscience decision, and looks towards Kate. He calls to her, and leans in close, whispering something in her ear. He pulls back and she shoots a look towards him. She asks why he's telling her this, but he doesn't answer. He lovingly kisses her instead. As he caresses her face, he whispers "just do it, Freckles" as Jack watches on before suddenly throwing himself out of the side of the shopper into the water below. Kate looks down in shock, and Jack bears an expression of genuine sadness. Hurley appears to be horrified that his friend would take such a rash action. Sawyer surfaces from his plunge as Kate tearfully watches from above. As the copter heads off without him, Sawyer turns and begins the long swim back towards the island.

Flash-forward: As a man sits in his rain drenched car, he receives a knock upon his driver side window. He rolls the window down, to find a man speaking in an Arabic accent asking for the time. As he begins to respond, he gets plugged three times in the chest. Of course, Sayid is the shooter, and once he's sure that the man in the car is properly dispatched, he heads inside the building where the guy was camped out. It's the Santa Rosa Mental Facility.

Sayid heads up a staircase, not even bothering to hide the gun he is holding. He proceeds down the hallways, until he finds the room he is looking for. Once he does, he heads inside, to find Hurley playing chess with no one in particular sitting across the table from him.

Hurley: Sayid?

Sayid: Hello, Hurley.

Sayid quickly closes the door. Hugo doesn't look disconcerted or surprised by this sudden visit. He just appears to be sad as his gaze drifts downwards.

Hurley: I think visiting hours are over, dude.

Sayid: This isn't a visit. I want you to come with me.

Hurley: Come with you where?

Sayid: To someplace safe.

Hurley: And why would I go anywhere with you? I haven't seen you in like, forever.

Sayid: Because circumstances have changed.

Hurley: What circumstances?

Sayid: Bentham's dead.

Hurley finally looks up at Sayid.

Hurley: What?!

Sayid: Two days ago.

Hurley: What happened?

Sayid: They said it was suicide.

Hurley: What do you mean they said it was suicide? And why are you calling him Bentham? His name was…

Sayid: Don't say it! We're being watched.

Hurley: I've been having regular conversations with dead people. The last thing I need now is paranoia.

Sayid: I just killed a man that's been perched outside this facility for the last week. I'm finding paranoia keeps me alive.

Hugo momentarily weighs this in his mind.

Hurley: We're not going back, are we?

Sayid: No. Just somewhere safe.

Hugo pulls his hand back from the chess table.

Hurley: Okay, then.

As they both move towards the door, Hurley has some unfinished business to attend to.

Hurley: Hold on a second.

He takes a chess piece that ends the game presented before him.

Hurley: Checkmate, Mr. Eko.

Please excuse me while I pick my jaw up off of the floor at that last line.

On the chopper, Sayid and Frank yell at one another about the whereabouts of the freighter. When Said asks how much fuel is left, Frank responds four or five minutes, unless somebody else wants to jump off. Kate shoots a hurtful looks towards Jack at this. He blinks, and says that as soon as they get to the boat they'll go back for him. Just then, Hurley yells that he sees the boat. Somehow, they've flow past it and it's behind them. All necks crane to see that this is in fact the case as Frank turns to the chopper towards it.

At the Orchid, Keamy lays bleeding and dying as Ben sits back and watches. Locke tears strips of fabric in a inconsequential attempt to quell the bleeding as he implores Ben to help him in this matter. If he does, everyone on the boat suffers the same fate. As Ben states that it isn't his problem, Locke yells for Keamy to hang on. Keamy croaks out one last message to Ben. Wherever you go, Widmore will find you. Ben leans forward and says, "not if I find him first.". Much to Locke's loud protests, Keamy kicks the bucket.

Once he's dead, his heart monitor turns from green to red, and back on the freighter, the bomb does the same exact thing. It's now armed, and Jin is the first to spot this. Michael and Des are quickly all on the same page and they look at one another quizzically. Okay, we're screwed, what now? Michael takes charge by saying that they all have to go, and get everyone off of the boat while they're at it. Michael guesses that they have five minute left in the tank, so he implores them both to GO! Jin tells Des to go ahead, and that he'll stick around to help.

Des runs up top to the deck and starts to grab a bunch of lifevests when he spots the helicopter returning. "Oh, bloody hell"! He begins to wave his arms back and forth frenetically while yelling at the top of his voice not to land, there's a freakin' bomb on board! Everyone on the shopper sees him waving his arms, but they cannot hear him at first due to the level of noise. Just as they're about to set down, Sayid peels his headset off and sticks his head out the window to better hear what Des is saying. Jack is the first to catch out by asking "did he just say BOMB?" Frank yells that he doesn't care what he's screaming, since they're running on fumes they HAVE to set down.

Back in the armory, Michael continues to spray the battery with the nitro as Jin watches on with obvious concern.

Now that the copter is down, Des yells at everyone emphatically that there's a bomb on board, and they all need to get off of the boat NOW! While Lapidus patches a bullet hole with duct tape, Jack asks him how long until they can fly again. He yells for someone else to patch the other hole and for somebody else to pump some gas. Des quickly agrees to hole-patching duty while Sayid takes care of the fuel issue. As all this is going on in rapid succession, Sun finally notices that Jin is nowhere to be found, so she begins to head down below to check on him. Kate notices this and stops her, but when Sun says she won't leave without her husband, Kate tells her to get on the copter with Aaron, and she'll go down in her stead. Frank tells Sayid to keep pumping the gas until he gets the copter started and that should be enough to get them back to the island.

Meanwhile, Michael has almost run out of nitro. He tells Jin that he has to go, there's nothing more that they can do. Jin starts to insist that he can find a way to disarm the bomb, but Michael insists, saying that he's a father now. He needs to get his ass up top and be with his wife and get her home. Jin thanks him, and one can tell that this means the world to Mike. As Jin runs down the hallways to get topside, Lapidus fires up the chopper. Jack implores him for more time but Frank that he was told that they had five minutes and that was three minutes ago, so if he plans on leaving by chopper it has to happen now. Jack runs to collect Kate, but she's not listening due to the fact that Jin is still inside and they can't leave him behind. He grabs her by her hand and insists that he's not leaving without her. Jack and Kate are the last ones to jump on board, joining Frank, Hurley, Desmond, Sayid, Sun and Aaron as everyone else on board quickly jumps ship over the side. (funny how there's not a riot over who's getting a copter ride and who's taking their chances in the ocean) As the copter begins to take off, Des yells for them to wait while Sun wonders aloud where Jin is. He finally makes his way on deck just as the copter is pulling away. He yells for them to return, waving his arms. Sun sees this and yells for her husband as Jack does his best to minimally restrain her. She creams that they have to go back for him but Frank insist that they cannot.

Meanwhile, Michael has completely run out of the nitro. Once he does, ghostly whispering can be heard. He turns his head, looking around quizzically before his eyes settle unexpectedly on someone he doesn't know; Jack's father, Christian. Christian tells him that he can go now, and a moment later, BOOM!

The freighter is blown apart from the blast and Sun screams in emotional agony. The shockwave rocks the copter and everyone does their best to steady themselves within. As the freighter begins to sink, Sun basically begins to completely freak out.

Okay, We're going to cut this off here at a convenient commercial break. We'll take this up on the flipside.

Check back tomorrow for the completion. Thanks for your understanding.

-BP