Maternity Leave (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"Maternity Leave" is the 15th episode of the second season of Lost
,and the 40th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender
, and written by Dawn Lambertsen Kelly
and Matt Ragghianti
. It first aired on March 1, 2006 on ABC
. The character of Claire Littleton
(Emilie de Ravin
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
(Matthew Fox
). John Locke
(Terry O'Quinn
) intercedes and goes instead of her. While Locke is gone, Danielle Rousseau
(Mira Furlan
) appears and tells Claire that Aaron is "infected."
Claire has a flashback where she remembers being injected with a needle while pregnant. Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
) sends Rousseau away, though Claire is now convinced that something is seriously wrong with Aaron.
Jack assures Claire that Aaron is fine and the fever will soon break, but Claire is unsure. She speaks to Libby
(Cynthia Watros
), who helps her recall memories from the two weeks when she was abducted by an Other named Ethan Rom (William Mapother
). Claire remembers what resembles a doctor's office and Ethan giving her injections. She was confused (apparently drugged) during this entire ordeal, and believed that she was still in Australia and about to leave for the United States.
She also remembers Ethan talking to "Mr. Friendly
" (M.C. Gainey), only without his beard and wild hair. Mr. Friendly tells Ethan he is unhappy that Claire was brought to the facility, as "the list" had not been prepared. He also mentions that a higher authority will not be pleased. Ethan tells Mr. Friendly that the survivors had a passenger manifest and knew that he (Ethan) was not on the plane.
Claire enlists Kate to help her find Rousseau, and to find a vaccine she remembered from her memories, believing that it is the cure for Aaron's ailment. Claire asks Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) to take care of Aaron while she is away. Sun tells her that a mother should never leave her child. Claire asks Sun if she is a mother. Sun replies "no", but agrees to watch the baby.
Claire and Kate soon find Rousseau, who is puzzled by an increasingly irrational Claire. However, Rousseau takes them back to the place where she said she found Claire the night Claire returned to camp after her abduction. When she takes them there, Claire wants Rousseau to take her to the room with the vaccine and grows accusatory when Rousseau tells her she doesn't know where the room is.
Claire suddenly notices a stump in the jungle that triggers another memory; she remembers Ethan Rom talking to her about leaving the baby with his group and returning to camp. Ethan tells Claire that she does have a choice in the matter. Ethan gives Claire some water from a canteen, and she complains of the sour taste. Ethan tells Claire that her baby is one of the "good ones".
Investigating further, the three women find a concealed bunker with the DHARMA logo on it. Unlike the swan symbol in the DHARMA logo on the Facility 3 bunker, the symbol on this bunker is a caduceus
. Inside, all but one of the lights are out and the bunker appears to be abandoned. Claire finds rooms familiar to her memories, while Kate investigates another part of the bunker. She discovers a set of lockers. Upon opening one, she discovers tattered clothes, a box containing makeup, theatrical glue, and a beard — all parts of the disguise worn by Mr. Friendly in her previous encounter with him
.
Claire locates the refrigerator where she remembered the vaccine being stored; it is now empty. She has a flashback of a young teenaged girl
(Tania Raymonde
) who rescues her from the bunker, telling Claire that the other members of her group plan to take the baby and kill Claire. Rousseau then leaves, telling Claire that she is "not the only one who didn't find what they were looking for". Claire finds a bootie she crocheted during the last time she was there and puts it in her pack.
Back in the jungle, Claire has one final flashback where she remembers that Rousseau aided her escape, and was not part of the group that kidnapped her. She asks Rousseau about the baby that the Others took from her sixteen years ago. Claire asks if the child was a girl and Rousseau replies, "Yes, a girl, Alex. Alexandra." Claire then tells Rousseau that a teenaged girl with blue eyes helped her escape. Claire says, "She wasn't like the others. She was good." Rousseau, on the verge of tears, then warns Claire that if Aaron is infected, she knows what she'll have to do. Claire and Kate return to camp, where Jack tells her Aaron's fever has subsided. Claire then takes out the bootie that she found in the bunker and gives it to Aaron.
Meanwhile, Jack and Locke are trying to decide what to do about their new prisoner, Henry Gale (Michael Emerson
). Locke gives Henry a copy of the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel The Brothers Karamazov
. Henry remarks "Dostoyevsky, you don't have any Stephen King
?". A minute later, Locke tells Jack that Ernest Hemingway
wanted to be the greatest writer in the world, but felt that he could never escape being in the shadow of Dostoyevsky.
Mr. Eko
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
) visits the bunker during this time and figures out what is going on. He asks Jack to let him visit with the prisoner, alone, and Jack agrees after Eko subtly threatens that he will tell the rest of the camp about the prisoner. Eko tells Henry about the two men he killed when they tried to abduct him from his camp. Henry asks why Eko is telling him, and Eko replies that he had to tell someone. Eko threateningly takes out his knife, cuts two knots out of his beard, and leaves.
Locke brings dinner to Henry, who strikes up a conversation about Hemingway and Dostoyevsky. Henry had heard the earlier talk about the authors through the thin walls. Henry asks Locke which of the authors he relates to more, but Locke does not have an answer. He then asks Locke why he lets Jack call the shots, but Locke insists that he and Jack make decisions together. Locke locks up Henry and returns to the bunker's kitchen, where he loses his temper and violently sweeps the dishes off the counter (which could be heard by Henry Gale).
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...
,and the 40th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender
Jack Bender
Jack Bender is an American television and film director, actor, television producer and also a screenwriter. Bender was an executive producer and lead director on the ABC television series, Lost. He directed the series finale of Lost. Bender has also directed on other popular shows such as The...
, and written by Dawn Lambertsen Kelly
Dawn Lambertsen Kelly
Dawn Lambertsen Kelly, aka Dawn Kelly, is an American television writer and writer's assistant. She wrote an episode of the second series of Lost, and was also a writer's assistant on the show. The Lost writing staff were nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series...
and Matt Ragghianti
Matt Ragghianti
Matt "Raggs" Ragghianti is an American television writer and writer's assistant. He wrote an episode of the second season of Lost and was a writer's assistant during the first two seasons of the show...
. It first aired on March 1, 2006 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...
. The character of 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....
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks.
Plot
Aaron has become ill with a rash and fever, and Claire sets off in the night to find Jack ShephardJack 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 :...
). 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,...
) intercedes and goes instead of her. While Locke is gone, Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau
Danielle Rousseau is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. Croatian actress Mira Furlan plays the scientist who shipwrecks on the island sixteen...
(Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan is a Croatian actress and singer currently residing in the United States. She is well known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn on all five seasons of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 , and Danielle Rousseau on Lost.-Early life:Furlan was born to an...
) appears and tells Claire that Aaron is "infected."
Claire has a flashback where she remembers being injected with a needle while pregnant. 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:...
) sends Rousseau away, though Claire is now convinced that something is seriously wrong with Aaron.
Jack assures Claire that Aaron is fine and the fever will soon break, but Claire is unsure. She speaks to Libby
Libby (Lost)
Libby is a fictional character on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific. She is played by American actress Cynthia Watros...
(Cynthia Watros
Cynthia Watros
Cynthia Michele Watros is an American television actress, who also starred in films and on stage. She is known for her roles as Libby on the ABC TV series Lost, Kellie in The Drew Carey Show, Erin in Titus, and Annie Dutton in Guiding Light...
), who helps her recall memories from the two weeks when she was abducted by an Other named Ethan Rom (William Mapother
William Mapother
William Reibert Mapother, Jr. is an American actor and former teacher, perhaps best known for his role as Ethan Rom on the television series Lost.-Personal life:...
). Claire remembers what resembles a doctor's office and Ethan giving her injections. She was confused (apparently drugged) during this entire ordeal, and believed that she was still in Australia and about to leave for the United States.
She also remembers Ethan talking to "Mr. Friendly
Tom (Lost)
Tom Friendly, often referred to as Tom or Mr. Friendly, is a recurring fictional character portrayed by M. C. Gainey on the American Broadcasting Company television series Lost. The series follows the lives of around forty survivors from the crash of Oceanic Flight 815...
" (M.C. Gainey), only without his beard and wild hair. Mr. Friendly tells Ethan he is unhappy that Claire was brought to the facility, as "the list" had not been prepared. He also mentions that a higher authority will not be pleased. Ethan tells Mr. Friendly that the survivors had a passenger manifest and knew that he (Ethan) was not on the plane.
Claire enlists Kate to help her find Rousseau, and to find a vaccine she remembered from her memories, believing that it is the cure for Aaron's ailment. Claire asks Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) to take care of Aaron while she is away. Sun tells her that a mother should never leave her child. Claire asks Sun if she is a mother. Sun replies "no", but agrees to watch the baby.
Claire and Kate soon find Rousseau, who is puzzled by an increasingly irrational Claire. However, Rousseau takes them back to the place where she said she found Claire the night Claire returned to camp after her abduction. When she takes them there, Claire wants Rousseau to take her to the room with the vaccine and grows accusatory when Rousseau tells her she doesn't know where the room is.
Claire suddenly notices a stump in the jungle that triggers another memory; she remembers Ethan Rom talking to her about leaving the baby with his group and returning to camp. Ethan tells Claire that she does have a choice in the matter. Ethan gives Claire some water from a canteen, and she complains of the sour taste. Ethan tells Claire that her baby is one of the "good ones".
Investigating further, the three women find a concealed bunker with the DHARMA logo on it. Unlike the swan symbol in the DHARMA logo on the Facility 3 bunker, the symbol on this bunker is a caduceus
Caduceus
The caduceus is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings...
. Inside, all but one of the lights are out and the bunker appears to be abandoned. Claire finds rooms familiar to her memories, while Kate investigates another part of the bunker. She discovers a set of lockers. Upon opening one, she discovers tattered clothes, a box containing makeup, theatrical glue, and a beard — all parts of the disguise worn by Mr. Friendly in her previous encounter with him
The Hunting Party (Lost)
"The Hunting Party" is the 36th episode of Lost. It is the 11th episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Elizabeth Sarnoff, Kiel Jeffery, and Christina M. Kim. It first aired on January 18, 2006 on ABC...
.
Claire locates the refrigerator where she remembered the vaccine being stored; it is now empty. She has a flashback of a young teenaged girl
Alex (Lost)
Alexandra "Alex" Linus is a recurring fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Tania Raymonde. She was born 16 years prior to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, but was taken from her mother, Danielle Rousseau by the Others. She was raised among them, believing her mother to...
(Tania Raymonde
Tania Raymonde
Tania Raymonde is an American actress. Raymonde's first prominent casting role was the recurring character of Cynthia Sanders in TV series Malcolm in the Middle between 2000–2003, followed by a popular role as Alex Rousseau in ABC's Lost from 2006 to 2010.She can currently be seen as UTF officer...
) who rescues her from the bunker, telling Claire that the other members of her group plan to take the baby and kill Claire. Rousseau then leaves, telling Claire that she is "not the only one who didn't find what they were looking for". Claire finds a bootie she crocheted during the last time she was there and puts it in her pack.
Back in the jungle, Claire has one final flashback where she remembers that Rousseau aided her escape, and was not part of the group that kidnapped her. She asks Rousseau about the baby that the Others took from her sixteen years ago. Claire asks if the child was a girl and Rousseau replies, "Yes, a girl, Alex. Alexandra." Claire then tells Rousseau that a teenaged girl with blue eyes helped her escape. Claire says, "She wasn't like the others. She was good." Rousseau, on the verge of tears, then warns Claire that if Aaron is infected, she knows what she'll have to do. Claire and Kate return to camp, where Jack tells her Aaron's fever has subsided. Claire then takes out the bootie that she found in the bunker and gives it to Aaron.
Meanwhile, Jack and Locke are trying to decide what to do about their new prisoner, Henry Gale (Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost and fictional serial killer William Hinks in The Practice.-Early life:...
). Locke gives Henry a copy of the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov is the final novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger and completed in November 1880...
. Henry remarks "Dostoyevsky, you don't have any Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
?". A minute later, Locke tells Jack that Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
wanted to be the greatest writer in the world, but felt that he could never escape being in the shadow of Dostoyevsky.
Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko Tunde is a fictional character, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the ABC television series Lost. He is introduced in the second season episode "Adrift" as one of the plane-crash survivors from the plane's tail section. Flashbacks reveal that he became the leader of a gang of guerrillas...
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
) visits the bunker during this time and figures out what is going on. He asks Jack to let him visit with the prisoner, alone, and Jack agrees after Eko subtly threatens that he will tell the rest of the camp about the prisoner. Eko tells Henry about the two men he killed when they tried to abduct him from his camp. Henry asks why Eko is telling him, and Eko replies that he had to tell someone. Eko threateningly takes out his knife, cuts two knots out of his beard, and leaves.
Locke brings dinner to Henry, who strikes up a conversation about Hemingway and Dostoyevsky. Henry had heard the earlier talk about the authors through the thin walls. Henry asks Locke which of the authors he relates to more, but Locke does not have an answer. He then asks Locke why he lets Jack call the shots, but Locke insists that he and Jack make decisions together. Locke locks up Henry and returns to the bunker's kitchen, where he loses his temper and violently sweeps the dishes off the counter (which could be heard by Henry Gale).