Do No Harm (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"Do No Harm" is the twentieth episode of the first season of Lost
. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams
and written by Janet Tamaro
. It first aired on April 6, 2005 on ABC
.
While trying to make contact with the outside world from a plane discovered in the jungle tree canopy, Boone Carlyle
(Ian Somerhalder
) is critically injured when the plane suddenly shifts and crashes to the ground, so Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
) desperately tries to save his life. The flashbacks in this episode revolve around Jack's marriage to a former patient, Sarah (Julie Bowen
).
. Jack agonizes over his vows, and his father, Christian
(John Terry
) surprises him by showing up, giving Jack advice about writing the vows by the pool. His father says that Jack's strength is commitment, and that his problem is that he is "just not good at letting go". Jack thinks over his father's words, and eventually writes his vows just in time for the ceremony, finally settling on extolling how Sarah has "fixed" him.
has been critically injured by his fall inside the Beechcraft in the previous episode
. He has lost a lot of blood
, one of his lungs has collapsed
and his right leg is crushed. Jack
sends Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
) off to get some alcohol
from James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
). On her way back, she discovers that Claire Littleton
(Emilie de Ravin
) has gone into unexpected labour
.
Sayid Jarrah
(Naveen Andrews
) surprises Shannon Rutherford
(Maggie Grace
) with a "torchlit dinner". Shannon tells Sayid that Boone is only her step-brother, and that he is "kind of" in love with her.
Boone needs a transfusion
of type A-negative
. Jack sends Charlie Pace
(Dominic Monaghan
) to find one of the other survivors with a matching blood type. When he unsuccessfully returns (only four people knew their blood type), Jack decides to give Boone some of his O-negative blood. Jack tries to use bamboo
as a needle
but can't pierce his skin. Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) solves the problem by providing a sea urchin
. Using the urchin's spines, Jack begins to give Boone his blood.
Jin-Soo Kwon
(Daniel Dae Kim), while working on the new raft, hears Kate's call for help and rushes to her and Claire. Despite the language barrier, Kate is able to tell Jin to go and find Jack. Jin rushes to the caves but Jack is occupied with the blood transfusion. Jack tells Jin (with the aid of Sun translating) to take Charlie to Kate and Claire, and gives Charlie instructions for Kate on delivering the baby.
As Jack begins to turn pale Sun stops the transfusion because the blood is pooling in Boone's dead right leg. Jack tries to save Boone's leg but it is beyond repair and Boone will die if it is not amputated
. Jack asks Michael Dawson
(Harold Perrineau) to find a way to cut off Boone's leg. Boone suddenly regains consciousness
and tells Jack to just let him go.
Boone reveals to Jack that he and John Locke
(Terry O'Quinn
) discovered a mysterious hatch, and Locke told him not to tell anybody else. Boone says "Tell Shannon I ..." but dies without finishing the sentence. Claire gives birth to a healthy baby boy. Jack tells Shannon that Boone had died, Shannon immediately goes to the caves, and cries over Boone's dead body. Jack goes looking for Locke, thinking that Boone was murdered.
, Locke was to be accompanied by two guest characters to search for Claire and discover the Hatch. In the final product, Boone accompanied Locke, a choice that would lead to Boone's death. While the executive producers have stated that Somerhalder took the news of his character's death professionally, Somerhalder has said that he found it "pretty devastating." Boone's death is notable as the first death of a major character on the series. According to executive producers Damon Lindelof
and Carlton Cuse
, Boone's death made sense from a story perspective to fuel the rivalry between Jack and Locke and lead to the events in the season finale." Variety
called him "hot-headed."
Following Somerhalder's departure from the show, ABC signed him to another one year contract. Somerhalder stated that being a part of Lost was "the greatest experience" of "the greatest year of his life".
ranked Boone's death as #4 in their list of the top ten 'Lost' deaths.
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams
Stephen Williams (director)
Stephen Williams is a Canadian film and television director. Williams has directed several modern day television programs including work as a regular director on the ABC drama series Lost, where he was also a co-executive producer...
and written by Janet Tamaro
Janet Tamaro
Janet Tamaro is an American television writer and series creator, executive producer and showrunner.Tamaro began her career as an on-camera television correspondent. She worked for ABC NEWSOne, Inside Edition, and The Travel Channel as a correspondent and host...
. It first aired on April 6, 2005 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
While trying to make contact with the outside world from a plane discovered in the jungle tree canopy, Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot episode as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford...
(Ian Somerhalder
Ian Somerhalder
Ian Joseph Somerhalder is an American model, actor and producer, best known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama Lost and Damon Salvatore in the TV drama The Vampire Diaries.-Early life:...
) is critically injured when the plane suddenly shifts and crashes to the ground, so Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
) desperately tries to save his life. The flashbacks in this episode revolve around Jack's marriage to a former patient, Sarah (Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011...
).
Flashbacks
Flashbacks show both the build-up to, and the event of Jack's wedding to Sarah, a former patient whom he "fixed" after she was injured in a car accidentMan of Science, Man of Faith
"Man of Science, Man of Faith" is the first episode of the second season of Lost and the 26th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Damon Lindelof. It first aired on September 21, 2005 on ABC. The flashbacks focus on Jack Shephard's struggle to heal Sarah, who...
. Jack agonizes over his vows, and his father, Christian
Christian Shephard
Dr. Christian Shephard is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by John Terry. He is the father of lead characters Jack Shephard , who becomes the de facto leader of the survivors of Oceanic 815 after it crashes on an island, and Claire Littleton , another of the survivors...
(John Terry
John Terry (actor)
John Terry is an American film, television, and stage actor.-Early life:Terry was born in Florida, where he attended Vero Beach High School. He was also educated at the prestigious Loomis Chaffee prep school in Windsor, Connecticut, and began a career building original custom log homes in North...
) surprises him by showing up, giving Jack advice about writing the vows by the pool. His father says that Jack's strength is commitment, and that his problem is that he is "just not good at letting go". Jack thinks over his father's words, and eventually writes his vows just in time for the ceremony, finally settling on extolling how Sarah has "fixed" him.
On the Island
BooneBoone Carlyle
Boone Carlyle is a fictional character played by Ian Somerhalder on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the south Pacific. Boone is introduced in the pilot episode as the stepbrother of fellow crash survivor Shannon Rutherford...
has been critically injured by his fall inside the Beechcraft in the previous episode
Deus Ex Machina (Lost)
"Deus Ex Machina" is the 19th episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Robert Mandel and written by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. It first aired on March 30, 2005 on ABC...
. He has lost a lot of blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
, one of his lungs has collapsed
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest between the lung and the chest wall. It may occur spontaneously in people without chronic lung conditions as well as in those with lung disease , and many pneumothoraces occur after physical trauma to the chest, blast...
and his right leg is crushed. Jack
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
sends Kate Austen
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
(Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama, Lost.-Early life:...
) off to get some alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
from James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
). On her way back, she discovers that Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until her...
(Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
) has gone into unexpected labour
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
.
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...
(Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) surprises Shannon Rutherford
Shannon Rutherford
Shannon Rutherford is a fictional character played by Maggie Grace on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Shannon is introduced in the pilot episode as the stepsister of fellow crash survivor Boone Carlyle . She is...
(Maggie Grace
Maggie Grace
Margaret Grace Denig , best known as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents' divorce. While struggling financially, she landed her first role as the title character in the...
) with a "torchlit dinner". Shannon tells Sayid that Boone is only her step-brother, and that he is "kind of" in love with her.
Boone needs a transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
of type A-negative
Blood type
A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells . These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system...
. Jack sends Charlie Pace
Charlie Pace
Charlie Hieronymus Pace is a fictional character on ABC's Lost, a television series chronicling the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island...
(Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is an English actor. He has received international attention from playing Merry in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and for his role as Charlie Pace on the television show Lost....
) to find one of the other survivors with a matching blood type. When he unsuccessfully returns (only four people knew their blood type), Jack decides to give Boone some of his O-negative blood. Jack tries to use bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
as a needle
Hypodermic needle
A hypodermic needle is a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body or extract fluids from it...
but can't pierce his skin. Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) solves the problem by providing a sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
. Using the urchin's spines, Jack begins to give Boone his blood.
Jin-Soo Kwon
Jin-Soo Kwon
Jin-Soo Kwon, better known as "Jin," is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Daniel Dae Kim.- Prior to the crash :...
(Daniel Dae Kim), while working on the new raft, hears Kate's call for help and rushes to her and Claire. Despite the language barrier, Kate is able to tell Jin to go and find Jack. Jin rushes to the caves but Jack is occupied with the blood transfusion. Jack tells Jin (with the aid of Sun translating) to take Charlie to Kate and Claire, and gives Charlie instructions for Kate on delivering the baby.
As Jack begins to turn pale Sun stops the transfusion because the blood is pooling in Boone's dead right leg. Jack tries to save Boone's leg but it is beyond repair and Boone will die if it is not amputated
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
. Jack asks Michael Dawson
Michael Dawson (Lost)
Michael Dawson is a fictional character played by Harold Perrineau on the ABC television series Lost. After losing a custody battle with Susan Lloyd , Michael does not see his son Walt for almost ten years. They reunite when she dies, but on their journey home, their plane crashes on a mysterious...
(Harold Perrineau) to find a way to cut off Boone's leg. Boone suddenly regains consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
and tells Jack to just let him go.
Boone reveals to Jack that he and John Locke
John Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
(Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
) discovered a mysterious hatch, and Locke told him not to tell anybody else. Boone says "Tell Shannon I ..." but dies without finishing the sentence. Claire gives birth to a healthy baby boy. Jack tells Shannon that Boone had died, Shannon immediately goes to the caves, and cries over Boone's dead body. Jack goes looking for Locke, thinking that Boone was murdered.
Production
In the original outline of the eleventh episodeAll the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
"All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" is the eleventh episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams and written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. It first aired on December 8, 2004, on the American Broadcasting Company...
, Locke was to be accompanied by two guest characters to search for Claire and discover the Hatch. In the final product, Boone accompanied Locke, a choice that would lead to Boone's death. While the executive producers have stated that Somerhalder took the news of his character's death professionally, Somerhalder has said that he found it "pretty devastating." Boone's death is notable as the first death of a major character on the series. According to executive producers Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American television writer and executive, most recently noted as the co-creator and executive producer for the television series Lost. He has written for and produced Crossing Jordan, and wrote for Nash Bridges, Wasteland, and the MTV anthology series Undressed...
and Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse is an AmericanEmmy Award winning screenwriter and producer, most famous as executive producer andscreenwriter for the American television series Lost for...
, Boone's death made sense from a story perspective to fuel the rivalry between Jack and Locke and lead to the events in the season finale." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called him "hot-headed."
Following Somerhalder's departure from the show, ABC signed him to another one year contract. Somerhalder stated that being a part of Lost was "the greatest experience" of "the greatest year of his life".
Reception
The American viewers for this episode were 17.12 million. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
ranked Boone's death as #4 in their list of the top ten 'Lost' deaths.
Episode references
- Boone says to Jack "I know you made me a promise. I'm letting you off the hook." This was also said to Jack by Rose in the season 1 episode "WalkaboutWalkabout (Lost)"Walkabout" is the fourth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by David Fury. It first aired on October 13, 2004, on ABC. In the episode, flashbacks reveal John Locke's plans to get to Australia and participate in a walkabout tour...
." This was also said by Sarah to Jack in Man of Science, Man of FaithMan of Science, Man of Faith"Man of Science, Man of Faith" is the first episode of the second season of Lost and the 26th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Damon Lindelof. It first aired on September 21, 2005 on ABC. The flashbacks focus on Jack Shephard's struggle to heal Sarah, who...
in a flashback.
Cultural references
- The title refers to Primum non nocerePrimum non nocereis a Latin phrase that means "First, do no harm". The phrase is sometimes recorded as .Nonmaleficence, which derives from the maxim, is one of the principal precepts of medical ethics that all medical students are taught in medical school and is a fundamental principle for emergency medical...
phrase in the Hippocratic OathHippocratic OathThe Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine ethically. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of western medicine, or by one of his students. The oath is written in...
.