Others (Lost): Difference between revisions
→Dr. Richard Alpert: removed "in cahoots with other faction" -- speculation, not part of the explicit narrative. |
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In "The Man Behind the Curtain", it is revealed that Richard was one of the native inhabitants of the island, living on it before the Dharma Initiative came. The group he belongs to is dubbed the 'hostiles' by the Dharma Initiative. It is revealed in a flashback that he was first encountered on the outskirts of the Dharma community by a young Ben, who pleads with Richard to take him with him, as he hates life among the Initiative. Years later, when Ben is an adult, he sabotages the Initiative, allowing the native inhabitants to attack by shutting down the electromagnetic fence surrounding the Barracks. After Ben kills his father, he heads back to the Barracks, where Richard and the other natives have arrived, as all of the true members of the Dharma Initiative lay dead from a poison gas attack. Interestingly, Alpert did not appear to age from the time of the flashback to present time. |
In "The Man Behind the Curtain", it is revealed that Richard was one of the native inhabitants of the island, living on it before the Dharma Initiative came. The group he belongs to is dubbed the 'hostiles' by the Dharma Initiative. It is revealed in a flashback that he was first encountered on the outskirts of the Dharma community by a young Ben, who pleads with Richard to take him with him, as he hates life among the Initiative. Years later, when Ben is an adult, he sabotages the Initiative, allowing the native inhabitants to attack by shutting down the electromagnetic fence surrounding the Barracks. After Ben kills his father, he heads back to the Barracks, where Richard and the other natives have arrived, as all of the true members of the Dharma Initiative lay dead from a poison gas attack. Interestingly, Alpert did not appear to age from the time of the flashback to present time. |
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It would appear that Richard is much older than Ben (and has not seemed to age appreciably as Ben grew to adulthood and middle age). Evidence is revealed why Ben refers to him and the others as "the good ones."; because the DHARMA Initiative wasn't doing what was right (by the Others' ways) and invading on the "true Hostiles" beliefs and their land. |
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===Isabel=== |
===Isabel=== |
Revision as of 21:40, 11 May 2007
The Others (also known as Them, The Natives, and The Hostiles) are a group of fictional characters who inhabit the island in the American television series Lost and who serve as the antagonists to the series' main characters. Template:Spoilers
The term "The Others" was coined by Danielle Rousseau, and the survivors of Flight 815 adopted the term to describe anyone on the island not from the plane, with the general use of the term meaning "the enemy," or people to be feared and avoided at all costs.
The Others have been observed to inhabit various locations, usually around the northern part of the island. They have also been observed on boats, in and around the Hydra station, and in a camp near the island's northern shore, though on closer investigation, the camp turned out to be a mere facade. They also were seen to own a submarine, but this was later destroyed by Locke. Their former residence was a small suburban-like village known as "The Barracks," but they seem to have left this location in episode 3-15, "Left Behind."
The Others are difficult to track; they generally leave minimal footprints and avoid disturbing underbrush. Their appearance is sometimes heralded by strange, barely audible whispering. In their early dealings with the crash survivors, they took on the guise of savage jungle-dwellers, but this was later revealed to be a ruse.
The motives of the Others remain unclear, though their interactions with the survivors often appear malevolent and manipulative. They have kidnapped children on the island and have raised at least one as their own for 16 years--Danielle Rousseau's infant daughter, Alex. They have also kidnapped a number of adult survivors from both the tail section and fuselage. In at least two instances, one of the Others has killed a crash survivor and they have attempted to kill quite a few more. However, at other times they treat some of the survivors, noticeably Claire, Cindy, Walt and other children, comparatively well.
The real name of the Others (i.e. what they call themselves) is not known. In the season 2 finale, "Live Together, Die Alone," when Michael asks Ben (aka "Henry Gale") about who they are, Ben responds that they are "the good guys." The DHARMA Initiative, on the other hand, referred to the Others as "the Hostiles," a term used at various points by Desmond, Kelvin, and Dr. Marvin Candle.
Recently, it has been implied that the Others/Hostiles had lived on the island long before the DHARMA Initiative arrived (which gives credence to Ben's claim that he has lived on the island all his life) and that they later destroyed DHARMA and took over most of the Initiative's facilities and equipment, including the aforementioned barracks. One of the Others, Mikhail, claims that they were all brought to the island by a "great man" who we later learn is the mysterious Jacob. His motives have not yet been disclosed.
It is revealed in the episode "The Man Behind The Curtain" that Ben was not actually born on the island; he had instead come to the island as a young boy with his father, who had been hired by the Dharma Initiative. After growing frustrated with the Dharma community, Ben sabotages his own community and has them killed by "The Hostiles," the name given to the island's native inhabitants by the Dharma Initiative. Ben and his new people then assume the identity of the Dharma Initiative, which seems to be headed by Richard Alpert. This is the event that is referred to in the series as "the purge." It is unknown at this point if major characters belonging to "The Others," such as Tom or Mikhail, are original members of the Dharma Initiative that survived the purge or are natural inhabitants of the island.
The Others have not been able to conceive on the island without the death of the mother caused by her immune system's rejecting the fetus as a foreign invader.
The Others
The following characters are listed in order of appearance:
Dr. Ethan Rom
Ethan Rom lived among the fuselage section survivors of Flight 815 during their initial days on the island. Ethan pretended to be a crash survivor until he was eventually discovered as not being on the plane's manifest. He abducted two of the survivors, Claire and Charlie, even nearly killing Charlie. Later, Charlie ends up killing Ethan. He was later revealed to be a surgeon for the Others. His name is also an anagram for 'Other Man.'
Tom
Tom appears to act as an unofficial spokesperson for the Others; however, he is not their leader. According to Ben, Tom is of little importance compared to the real leader.
Goodwin
- Played by: Brett Cullen
- Appears in: "...And Found" (corpse), "The Other 48 Days", "A Tale of Two Cities," "One of Us"
- Status: Deceased
Goodwin, like Ethan, was a spy for the Others. Ben sent him to investigate and infiltrate the tail section survivors after the Flight 815 crash. Goodwin was told to listen, learn, not to get involved, and prepare a list within three days. He then begins to live among the tail section survivors for the initial days of their stay on the island, claiming to be a former member of the Peace Corps. After Nathan, one of the tail section survivors, is accused of being one of "them" and thrown in a pit-cage, Goodwin kills him and hides the body to throw suspicion off of himself. Later, when he and Ana Lucia are alone, Ana Lucia says that she knows Goodwin is one of the Others because when he came out of the jungle (ten minutes after the plane had crashed into the sea) his clothes were dry. Goodwin reveals that the survivors who have been abducted are "good people." He then tells Ana Lucia that Nathan was not a good person and that he was not on "the list." He also claims that the abducted kids, Zack and Emma, are better off, which upsets Ana Lucia. They struggle, and in the course of their fight, Goodwin is impaled on a wooden stake and dies. His rotting corpse is later found by Jin.
Goodwin's comment about the Others being "good people" parallels Ben's claim that he "is not a bad person" and that the Others are "the good guys." Ben also notes that Goodwin actually considered Ana Lucia a good person, telling his fellow "Others" that she is not bad, just misunderstood, and tells Ana Lucia that when Goodwin attacked her, he was not planning to kill her.
In the episode "One of Us," it was revealed that Goodwin and Juliet were lovers prior to the plane crash and that helped Juliet in the surgery of Sabine.
Benjamin "Ben" Linus (a.k.a. "Henry Gale")
The apparent leader of the Others. The survivors first encounter him when he is caught in one of Rousseau's traps. When asked about himself, he insists that his name is Henry Gale, which is later revealed to be a lie. He took the name Henry Gale from a man who had crashed on the island while piloting a hot air balloon. Later, it is learned that his actual name is Benjamin Linus and that he claims to have lived on the island all his life. In truth, Ben was born near Portland as a premature birth which killed his mother. He arrived at the island as child after his father was recruited to work for the DHARMA Initiative.
Alexandra "Alex" Rousseau
Alex Rousseau was kidnapped by the Others after her mother, Danielle, gave birth to her. Alex is now 16-17 years old and appears to have been raised by the Others for most of her life as Ben's adopted daughter. Despite her vague allegiance to the Others, Alex aids the crash survivors in various escapes.
Danny Pickett
Danny Pickett was a henchman of the Others, but he was killed by Juliet.
Bea Klugh
- Played by: April Grace
- Appears in: "Three Minutes", "Live Together, Die Alone", "Enter 77"
- Status: Deceased
When Michael is brought to the Others' camp, he meets Ms. Klugh who asks Michael several questions about Walt, such as "Are you his biological father?", "When did he start talking?", "Did he have any illnesses?" and most notably, "Did he ever appear anywhere he wasn't supposed to be?" (making a reference to Walt being seen by some of the survivors). Her questions were also very similar to the questions Walt's mother's lawyer asked Michael. Michael eventually demands to see Walt, and she agrees to let them see each other for three minutes. When Walt begins to say "they're not who they say they are" and "they're pretending...", Ms. Klugh has Walt taken away, but not before threatening to send him back to "The Room" if he does not behave. After a brief hug, Walt is taken away and Michael reluctantly agrees to Klugh's demands: rescue Henry Gale, and then bring Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley back to the Others' camp. When she accidentally reveals Tom's name in "Live Together, Die Alone", he reveals hers as Bea in return. In "Enter 77" Bea attacks Kate in the Flame station but is stopped by Sayid. They hold her hostage until Locke is held at gunpoint by Mikhail Bakunin, who threatens to kill Locke if Bea is not returned. During the exchange, Bea and Mikhail converse in fluent Russian, which ends with Bea firmly saying, "Just do it, Mikhail." After a moment's hesitation, Mikhail shoves Locke aside, apologizes to Bea and shoots her in the chest, killing her instantly.
Dr. Juliet Burke
Juliet is one of the most influential members of the Others community and seems to enjoy some authority in their hierarchy. Juliet doesn't revere Ben as much as the other Others appear to and suggests she'd like a change in leadership. She is a fertility specialist.
Karl
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Karl.jpg/150px-Karl.jpg)
- Played by: Blake Bashoff
- Appears in: "A Tale of Two Cities", "Not in Portland", "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Greatest Hits", "Through The Looking Glass"
- Status: Alive
A young man of unknown origin (presumably an Other) who was being held at the Hydra Station along with Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. Karl is first seen in "A Tale of Two Cities" in a cage across from Sawyer. A scruffy-looking teenager, for the most part he keeps his back turned to Sawyer, and initially refuses attempts at conversation, except for offering advice about not pushing a button (which Sawyer ignores, only to receive a powerful electric shock). Later, Karl indicates interest in how far away Sawyer's camp might be. Karl picks the lock on his own cage, then runs over and frees Sawyer. He tells Sawyer to run in a certain direction while he runs in another, but they are both still caught and returned to their cages, though a bloodied Karl is brought up close to Sawyer's cage and forced to apologize, for involving Sawyer in his "escape attempt." Alex Rousseau later contacts Kate from a hiding place, asking about whether or not she has seen Karl in the cages ("The Glass Ballerina"). In "Not in Portland," Alex, Sawyer and Kate find out where he's being held; in a small cell, strapped to a chair while drum and bass music is blaring and flashing images on a screen in front of him keep him in a vegetative state, but they are able to free him. Kate, and Sawyer eventually get to the boat and escape with Karl while Alex, after saying goodbye, is forced to stay behind. Karl and Alex are obviously in love with one another, but for reasons that have not yet been disclosed, Ben seems intent on keeping the two of them apart. At the end of "Stranger in a Strange Land," Karl leaves Kate and Sawyer, apparently to attempt to rescue Alex. According to Damon Lindelof, Karl is NOT an Other.[citation needed]
Colleen Pickett
- Played by: Paula Malcolmson
- Appears in: "The Glass Ballerina", "Every Man for Himself" (no dialogue)
- Status: Deceased
Colleen, sometimes called "Coll," was married to Danny Pickett. She is first introduced when she tells Ben about Sayid and the sailboat, after which he orders her to steal the Elizabeth; however, during the mission, Colleen comes upon Sun in the boat's cabin. Sun has a gun and tells Colleen to let her off the boat. Colleen says she cannot do that as it is not her choice to make. Colleen walks closer to Sun, but Sun threatens to shoot Colleen if she comes any closer. Colleen tells Sun that she and the Others are not the enemy but if she was to shoot her, that would be exactly what they'd become. She calls Sun by her full name and attempts to reason with her, stating that she knows she is not a killer. Colleen steps closer to Sun and the engine starts. Shocked, Sun shoots Colleen in the chest. Sun escapes from the ship's cabin, narrowly dodging Tom's attempt to shoot her. Colleen is then taken back to the Hydra station so that they can attend to her injuries. Both Juliet and Jack operate on her, but she still dies on the operating table. Her funeral takes place in "The Cost of Living," at which Ben speaks. Her death fuels Danny's hatred for all of the crash survivors, most notably Sawyer.
Mikhail Bakunin
- Played by: Andrew Divoff
- Appears in: "The Cost of Living", "Enter 77", "Par Avion," "One of Us", "D.O.C.", "The Man Behind the Curtain", "Through The Looking Glass"
- Also known as: "Patchy" (producers)
- Origin of name: anarchist Mikhail Bakunin
- Status: Alive
Mikhail Bakunin claims to have been born in Kiev in present day Ukraine (part of the USSR at the time of his birth). He also claims he was a medic in the Soviet Army, and served in the Soviet war in Afghanistan. He was first seen on one of the monitoring screens in the Pearl station when Sayid fixed the wires so that the video surveillance feed to the upper-right monitor worked. Bakunin appears on one of the screens, however he manages to quickly turn off the camera.
The satellite base he lives in seems to have cameras all over the globe, as indicated in the episode One of Us. Right after the crash, Ben shows Juliet a monitor with her sister and her baby playing with each other. This seems to prove that The Others do have communication to the outside world, thanks to Mikhail. Also, when Ben asks for a detailed report on the survivors, Mikhail states he 'is already on it'. This also seems to prove that he is the reason The Others know so much about the survivors.
When Sayid, Locke, Kate and Rousseau finally find him living in the Flame station, he claims to be the last surviving member of the DHARMA Initiative. He goes on to tell them that the DHARMA scientists attempted to "purge" the "Hostiles" (this was earlier established as term the DHARMA Initiative used for the Others). As the story went, when the Others retaliated, he was spared due to his refusal to participate in the fighting. However, he later confesses that he was lying, and is in fact one of the Others (although he maintains that the story of the "purge" was true). At her request, he shoots and kills Bea Klugh to prevent Sayid from using her to trade for Jack, and seems ready to shoot himself. In Par Avion, Mikhail, Sayid, Locke, Kate, and Rousseau find the sonic defense system that protects the Barracks. In order to test its true purpose, Locke pushes Mikhail through the barrier, causing him to foam at the mouth and bleed from the ears, apparently dying from a brain hemorrhage. His last words are "Thank you."
However, Bakunin reappeared in the episode D.O.C., very much alive. He appeared in the jungle at the landing site of the female parachutist who had landed in the jungle in the previous episode. When Bakunin happens upon the site, where Hurley, Charlie, Desmond and Jin have already discovered the woman, he immediately bolts, but is chased and captured. He agrees to inspect and treat the woman's injuries, but only if he is then allowed to go free. They agree, and Bakunin, with Desmond's help, evacuates the woman's punctured lung, and when he is done tells them that she will be better in a day or so. When Charlie expresses skepticism at such an optimistic prognosis for such a serious injury, Bakunin cryptically points out that injuries are different on the island. He leaves, but Jin chases him down again when he realizes Bakunin absconded with the satellite phone. After reacquiring the phone, Desmond says Mikhail is allowed to go, despite Charlie's protests that they should kill him. Mikhail taunts Charlie, saying "I already died once this week", to which Charlie threatens to take out his other eye. Desmond makes good on his word to let him leave, however, and Mikhail then disappears into the jungle once more.
In The Man Behind the Curtain, Mikhail runs from the jungle, explaining his "death" by saying the sonic death fence was not set to a lethal level. He tells the rest of the Others of Naomi, and that the Oceanic 815'ers probably took the survivor back to their camp. He insists that they deal with the situation immediately. Ben then says that the night after tomorrow, they will send a small party to take the survivor from their camp. John Locke, who wanted to meet Jacob, did not want to wait very much longer and beat Mikhail to the ground. He later sat nursing his many wounds and glared at Locke as he passed by.
Bakunin's conversation with Kate has sparked speculation over the true nature of the Others. His comments that they cannot understand the nature of the Others because they are flawed and as such not on the list, hints at the Others' view that they are perfect individuals, and as such make up a Utopian society. In Swan's orientation video, Dr Marvin Candle states that the DHARMA Initiative was investigating "Utopian social..." before he was cut off. It is possible that the Others are in fact a highly complex experiment into Utopian society, made up of those chosen by "Him," who may also be involved in the running of the DHARMA Initiative. This also questions the nature of "the purge" and the Others' relationship with DHARMA altogether. However, a podcast, with commentary from the show's producers, confirms that whatever Mikhail was telling the survivors was indeed the truth and that the Others wiped out the DHARMA Initiative in self-defense.[1]
Dr. Richard Alpert
- Played by: Nestor Carbonell
- Appears in: "Not in Portland," "The Man from Tallahassee," "One of Us", "The Brig", "The Man Behind the Curtain", "Greatest Hits", "Through the Looking Glass"
- Origin of name: Spiritual Philosopher Ram Dass, né Richard Alpert
- Status: Alive
Dr. Richard Alpert first appears in one of Juliet's flashbacks as a recruiter for a corporation called Mittelos Bioscience, a fertility research facility in Portland, Oregon. Alpert attempts to convince Juliet to take a position at Mittelos, but she refuses, joking that she could only accept his offer if her ex-husband Edmund were "hit by a bus." Soon after, Edmund is fatally struck by a bus, and mere seconds after Juliet has identified Edmund's body, Alpert appears in the morgue with Ethan Rom to press his case yet again. Alpert denies responsibility for Edmund's death, but admits that his company's facility is "not exactly in Portland." After Juliet accepts the position with Mittelos and travels to the facility on the island, Alpert provides a video link-up, transmitted live into the Flame station, for her to see her sister and her sister's son.
In "One Of Us", Alpert appears as one of the Others, and Ben Linus asks him to "fetch the man from Tallahassee" for Locke to see. He is present when Locke is shown the imprisoned man, who turns out to be Locke's father Anthony Cooper. After Locke refuses to kill his father at Ben's request, Richard approaches Locke and explains to him that Ben knew he would not kill his father, and was just trying to embarrass him in front of the Others. Alpert claims that Ben is jealous of Locke because of Locke's recovery from paralysis and questions Ben's leadership, saying that Ben is wasting time with his work on pregnant women and that Locke's healing is an example of other, more important reasons they are working on the island. He tells Locke his father has to go and suggests Locke get Sawyer to do it, since Sawyer also has a connection to Cooper (Alpert gives Locke a file on Sawyer, which reveals Cooper to be the man who conned Sawyer's mother, precipitating Sawyer's parents' murder-suicide).
In "The Man Behind the Curtain", it is revealed that Richard was one of the native inhabitants of the island, living on it before the Dharma Initiative came. The group he belongs to is dubbed the 'hostiles' by the Dharma Initiative. It is revealed in a flashback that he was first encountered on the outskirts of the Dharma community by a young Ben, who pleads with Richard to take him with him, as he hates life among the Initiative. Years later, when Ben is an adult, he sabotages the Initiative, allowing the native inhabitants to attack by shutting down the electromagnetic fence surrounding the Barracks. After Ben kills his father, he heads back to the Barracks, where Richard and the other natives have arrived, as all of the true members of the Dharma Initiative lay dead from a poison gas attack. Interestingly, Alpert did not appear to age from the time of the flashback to present time.
It would appear that Richard is much older than Ben (and has not seemed to age appreciably as Ben grew to adulthood and middle age). Evidence is revealed why Ben refers to him and the others as "the good ones."; because the DHARMA Initiative wasn't doing what was right (by the Others' ways) and invading on the "true Hostiles" beliefs and their land.
Isabel
- Played by: Diana Scarwid
- Appears in: "Stranger in a Strange Land"
- Status: Alive
Isabel appears to be a high ranking member in the Others' hierarchy. Tom originally refers to her as the "sheriff" when Jack asks him who she is. She appears to be a judicial officer of the Others, acting as investigator, prosecutor, and judge. Isabel investigated the death of Danny, interrogating Jack in the process. She presided over Juliet's trial, and read the sentence. Isabel's authority is exceeded by Ben, who has the power to commute sentences.
She read Jack's tattoos while he was in the polar bear cages, mentioning how ironic they are. Isabel then takes Jack to a room in the Hydra station, where Tom and Juliet are also present, and asks Jack to verify the remark he made of Juliet asking him to kill Ben. When Jack denies that she ever asked him this, Isabel responds by asking him why he's lying for her. The next day, Isabel prepares to announce Juliet's verdict, only to be interrupted by Jack and Alex. Tom grabs Jack by the shirt and puts him up against the wall, but when Isabel tells Tom to let him go, he obeys. Isabel was planning on having Juliet executed for murdering Danny Pickett, but as a result of Ben's note, that course of action was overruled. Instead, Ben asks Isabel to give Juliet "the mark." Later that evening, Isabel leaves the second island, along with the rest of the Others and Jack.
Jacob
- Played by: Unknown
- Appears in: "The Man Behind the Curtain"
- Status: Unknown
The implied leader of the Others has been alluded to by Ben, Pickett, Karl, Tom and Mikhail. He is respected but feared by the Others. Often referred to as He or Him, Ben describes Jacob as "a great man, a brilliant man, but not a forgiving man." Ben also said to Sayid during his interrogation, "If I told you about them, you have no idea what he'll do," and "he'll kill me." Mikhail called Jacob a "magnificent man" and identified him as the one who brought the Others to the island. Pickett, Goodwin, Ben and Mikhail have also made reference to a "list" made by Jacob. Mikhail pointed out that those not on the list are flawed and not capable of understanding the Others. Jacob also is trusted by Juliet as Ben says he would take care of her sister's cancer.
In "The Man Behind the Curtain", Ben introduces Locke to Jacob. However, it appears to Locke that Ben is merely arguing with an empty rocking chair, leaving Locke to believe that Ben may be insane or bluffing. Just as Locke turns to leave, a deep and strange voice says, "Help me". Locke shines his flashlight at Ben, and then everything goes haywire. It was discussed that Jacob despises technology, and when the flashlight is turned on, a frightening and violent struggle breaks out in the room. A table is set on fire, then mysteriously put out in the same instant; a window is broken, Ben is flung against a wall and several items are hurled and destroyed in the disarray. For a brief moment, the audience is able to see Jacob sitting in the chair Ben was talking to moments before, but it is unclear if Locke sees him as well.
In The Bible, Jacob was the closest common ancestor of the people who eventually became the Israelites, so he could be considered the father of God's chosen people. In the episode of Lost titled "Not in Portland", Karl was watching a brainwashing film, and one frame read "God loves you as he loved Jacob."
The home of the Others
The Barracks
The Others were revealed in the first episode of season three ("A Tale of Two Cities") to be living in a rather pleasant suburban-like village of houses, complete with furniture, indoor plumbing and even electricity. The Others have many conveniences of modern living, such as ovens, relatively new books, and CD players. The village even has a book club. According to blueprints in DHARMA Initiative operations manuals at The Flame, the name of the village is "The Barracks", and was originally constructed by DHARMA to house its employees. The Others took over the Barracks after the so-called "Purge" resulting in the destruction of DHARMA. The existence of the Barracks was first alluded to in the season two episode "?", in which a DHARMA orientation video mentioned that workers in the Pearl Station would go there at the end of their shift.
The Barracks has at least 13 houses, all laid out with only footpaths between them. They are arranged in a circular pattern around a central picnic area, which includes a small gazebo. Also along these footpaths are speakers and lights found on poles. These are also found at The Hydra station, and around the Island The Hydra is situated on.
The Barracks is surrounded by a sonic defense perimeter. Anyone trying to enter has to cross through a number of pillars, which are capable of generating a sonic pulse directed at any intruder breaking the perimeter. The effects of the pulse initially appeared to be a fatal cerebral hemorrhage, but the only person shown to suffer this, Mikhail, has been revealed to be still living. The sonic fence also serves to repel The Monster, which cannot penetrate it.
The Barracks are not within visual line of sight of the beaches of either the tail section crash site or the main fuselage crash site; however, it is within an hour's reach of the tail section. It is hidden behind a row of mountains forming a crater surrounded by jungle. The Barracks make their first non-flashback appearance in "Par Avion", in which Kate, Locke, Sayid, and Danielle arrive there with the intention of rescuing Jack.
In the episodes "Man Behind the Curtain", the Barracks are shown in a flashback when they were used by the Dharma Initiative, and they are established as having had a school for the children of the members of the initiative. Ben Linus lived here from a young age (He appears to be 10-13.) and at some point, he betrays the initiative members to the Others, allowing them to overrun the camp.
"Yurtville"
Prior to this, the Others appeared to live in yurts on a beach in the northern part of the island. A significant landmark is a rock wall with a large hole in it on top of a nearby hill. This is visible from sea. In the camp, guards were protecting what appeared to be the entrance to a DHARMA Initiative station. Days later, Sayid discovers that the camp had been abandoned and the DHARMA station was a mere facade. The fake village is referred to as "yurtville" by the producers of the show.[1]
Encounters with the Others
Attack on the raft
In "Exodus, Part 2", the Others are seen out in the ocean when Sawyer, Jin, Michael, and Walt were attempting an escape from the island on a raft. The raft encounters a short-range fishing boat, with four people on board: a woman, twin men, and Tom. At first the survivors on the raft mistake them for "fishermen or pirates" and assume they are going to aid in rescuing them. This assumption is soon destroyed when the Others demand that Walt be handed over to them, but Michael refuses. The Others then attack the castaways and shoot Sawyer in the shoulder. Jin then jumps in the ocean to save him and while Michael is distracted by Sawyer getting shot, the Others take Walt. The woman then blows the raft up and Michael sees his son struggling as the boat slowly rides away from him.
Tail section encounters
In "The Other 48 Days", the tail section survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 have many encounters with the Others. Over the first two weeks, the Others take twelve of the tail section survivors. During the raids, Mr. Eko and Ana-Lucia manage to kill three of the Others. Later on many of the tail section survivors grow suspicious of one another. They decide that Nathan, one of the survivors, is a spy, but later on they discover that Goodwin, who they had assumed to be another tail section passenger, is the real spy. After discovering this, the tail section survivors encounter the shipwrecked raft crew in "Orientation". After deducing that the raft crew are also survivors of the plane crash, the tail section survivors set out for the midsection survivors' camp. During the journey across the island, Cindy, a flight attendant from the plane, disappears under mysterious circumstances. Bernard, Ana-Lucia, Mr. Eko, Michael, and Jin assume that she was abducted by the Others.
Jin and Eko's encounter
In "...And Found", Eko is alerted to the presence of Others in the jungle. He hides Jin and himself in some brush and while there, sees eight Others trekking through the jungle. They are barefoot, covered in mud, only visible from the waist down and one of them is carrying a teddy bear that belonged to Zack, a child survivor from the tail section. Eko then claims that The Others "leave no footprints" and only allow you to see them at their choosing.
The hunting party standoff
In "The Hunting Party", Michael decides to go after his kidnapped son Walt. Jack, Locke, and Sawyer follow him and run into Tom, who along with other Others has kidnapped Kate, who had been secretly trailing. He threatens to kill her if they don't give him their guns and turn around. He claims that Walt is safe and Michael will not find Walt "where he's at". He says that the island is their island and the only reason the Flight 815 survivors are living on it is because they (the Others) allow them to. Tom draws a line in the ground and says if any of the survivors cross that line, there is going to be trouble. Jack suggests to Tom that he is bluffing and that the Others are not nearly as powerful as they want to appear. Tom then cries, "Light 'em up!", and at least fifteen visible torches are lit outside the clearing. After this he releases Kate, takes the survivors' guns, and disappears into the jungle with his fellow Others.
Michael's capture
Someone claiming to be Walt contacts Michael via the computer in the hatch. This person explains to Michael that he is being held captive in the northern part of the island with the Others. "Walt" then says to look for a rock with a large hole in it as a landmark. After this Michael is so determined to find his son that he seals Locke and Jack into the hatch's armory, takes two guns and some bullets, and sets off north into the jungle to look for his son. It's not long before he sees one of the Others (Pickett), apparently ing. Michael holds him at gunpoint. Pickett appears to surrender when he raises his hands. However, Tom is behind Michael and attacks him. Michael attempts an escape, and exchanges gunfire with the Others (as heard in the episode "The Hunting Party"); during this, Michael is nearly shot. This makes Tom angry and he reminds his fellow Others that they "need him alive". Tom then uses makeshift bolas to trip and tie Michael up.
Keeping Michael tied up, the Others carry him into the jungle. When the group rests, Alexandra secretly asks Michael if Claire and the baby are okay. Michael is unable to answer when Pickett comes back with a bound Kate. Tom instructs Alex to take her out to where the hunting party, which has caught up to them, is. Alex refuses and asks Pickett to do it. Pickett mocks her a little and then takes Kate out. At this time Alex makes a point to tell Michael that what Tom is doing is just "delivering a message" to the survivors. Once the situation is resolved Tom instructs the Others to move out. Alex apologizes to Michael and then knocks him out.
Two days later, after a non-stop walk north, the Others reach their campsite. Michael is escorted to Ms. Klugh. There Pickett takes some blood from Michael, puts the syringe with Michael's blood in a ziplock plastic bag, and leaves him with Ms. Klugh. Ms. Klugh then asks him questions about Michael's paternity and if Michael has ever seen Walt "in a place he wasn't supposed to be." Michael says that he was halfway around the world but Klugh still asks if Michael ever saw him, as if he were in two places at once. Michael, unsure of the meaning behind the question, is unable to answer and therefore put into solitary confinement.
Days later Michael is being held in one of the Others' yurts, and Ms. Klugh visits him again. She offers Michael a deal. Ms. Klugh explains that one of her people ("Henry Gale") has been captured, and Michael is to go and free him. Michael is also ordered to bring four of the survivors back to the Others. Ms. Klugh hands him a list with the names Jack Shepard, Kate Austin, James Ford, and Hugo Reyes. Michael then demands to see Walt. Ms. Klugh gives in to this and allows father and son to see each other for "three minutes." But when Walt begins to say "they're not who they say they are" and talk about the tests they make him do, Ms. Klugh gets angry and threatens that Walt will be put back in "the room" if he does not behave. After a brief hug, Walt is taken away and Michael reluctantly agrees to bring four of his companions, that Klugh had requested of him. At that moment he is sent away.
Two days later (in "Two for the Road"), Michael is found and taken back to "The Swan." After coming to, Michael tells Jack and Kate about what he experienced in the jungle. He explains that he encountered one of the Others in the woods and followed him deeper into the heart of the jungle. He claims to have seen the camp where the Others live, claiming that they occupy another hatch where the captives are kept. Michael further explains that the Others apparently live in makeshift tents, are lightly armed, and could probably be easily overwhelmed by a group of survivors. He claims that most of them are weak old men and women and not nearly the dangerous persona the Others have projected thus far. He also says they have another hatch where he believes the Others are keeping prisoners due to the guards that keep a 24-hour watch over the place.
The capture of Henry Gale
In "One of Them", Danielle Rousseau captures a man and brings him to Sayid, believing that he is an Other. The man identifies himself as Henry Gale and explains that he is from Minnesota and crashed in a hot air balloon with his wife. Sayid does not believe Henry, and, convinced he is an Other, tortures him. Jack quickly puts a stop to this, and afterwards Henry is well taken care of and fed regularly. Two days later, Mr. Eko learns Henry is in the hatch. In order to keep Henry's presence secret, Jack agrees to allow Mr. Eko into Henry's room. There, Mr. Eko confesses and apologizes to Gale for killing two of the "Others."
Trying to resolve the Henry situation once and for all, Ana-Lucia asks Gale to draw a map to his balloon. She, Sayid, and Charlie follow the map, and Henry's story seems accurate until Sayid exhumes the body in the grave Henry claimed belonged to his wife. Instead, they find the real Henry Gale. Upon interrogation by Sayid, "Henry" admits that he is an Other and that telling Sayid any further information would ensure that the Others' leader would kill him in retaliation.
When Locke visits Gale soon after, he asks him what his real name is, but is told that he's grown accustomed to "Henry." Before Locke leaves, Gale makes a point of telling him that the hatch is a "joke," and that he had lied about entering the code into the computer earlier. When Locke accuses Gale of lying, he replies, "I'm done lying." Later, Jack decides to try to trade Gale for Walt, which Gale dismisses as unlikely to be agreed to by the Others.
At this point, Gale goes on a hunger strike and refuses to talk to anyone. Ana-Lucia comes to see Henry and asks him how long his strike will go on, and claims that — in her experience — most killers like to talk. Henry says something indiscernible to her, and when Ana-Lucia gets closer to hear him Gale attempts to strangle her. In their struggle, Henry tells Ana that she "is the killer" and that she has killed "two good people." Before Henry can kill Ana-Lucia, Locke rushes into the room and knocks Henry out. When Henry wakes up, he finds himself tied down to the floor and in utter darkness. Locke opens the door to talk more with Henry. He asks him why Henry didn't take advantage of Locke's incapacitation under the blast doors, and is told that it was due to Locke being one of the "good people" in contrast to Ana-Lucia. Henry tells Locke that when Rousseau caught him in her trap, he had been on his way to get Locke to take him back with the rest of the "good people." Henry refuses to elaborate on the point, insisting enigmatically that he will soon be dead regardless of what information he gives.
Ana-Lucia enters the room not long after and, throwing him a knife, tells Gale to cut himself free. Henry does this despite knowing she is there to kill him in a faux escape attempt. He tells Ana-Lucia that Goodwin tried to change her but it was a lost cause. Ana-Lucia says that Goodwin was going to kill her, but Henry says that belief was only her paranoia. Ana-Lucia surprisingly finds herself unable to commit such a calculated murder, and leaves Henry alive. Several minutes later, Henry hears gunshots from Michael shooting Ana-Lucia and Libby. Entering Henry's makeshift prison cell, Michael shoots himself in the arm. When found later Michael explains that Gale has escaped and lies, saying Gale was the shooter of both Ana-Lucia and Libby. Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley ultimately learn the truth during their journey across the island with Michael. It is unknown whether this information has been shared with the other survivors.
Prisoners of the Others
In "Live Together, Die Alone", Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley are captured by a group of The Others and taken to a jetty. The Henry Gale impostor (Benjamin Linus) arrives in the motorized boat and allows . He tells Michael to follow the bearing of 325 from the pier to find rescue from the island. Michael asks him who they are; the Henry Gale impostor replies that they are "the good guys". The Others also release Hurley, telling him his task is to deliver a message to the rest of the survivors that no one could come there. Jack, Kate, and Sawyer are told they are "coming home" with the mysterious Others.
In "A Tale of Two Cities", it is revealed that the Others live in a village similar to a typical American-suburban area which contains many modern conveniences, including recent books, CDs, electricity, and ovens. Jack finds himself in an underwater station known as "The Hydra" concealed within a specific area. Here he meets Juliet who offers him food and drink. Kate awakes in a changing room, she is asked by Tom to shower and change, he then takes her to curiously have a meal with Ben on the shore of the Island. Sawyer is locked in an outdoor cage by The Others where he is able to gain food by working through a puzzle. He is soon joined by Kate in an opposite cage. Kate is told that the next two weeks are to be very unpleasant as prisoners of The Others.
In "The Glass Ballerina", Ben Linus reveals to Jack that they are in contact with the outside world, mentioning the reelection of George W. Bush and the death of Christopher Reeve, and argues with Jack over the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series. Meanwhile, he sends Colleen and a team (including Tom) to steal the sailing ship from Sayid's party.
It is found in "The Cost of Living" that the capture of Jack was solely so that he could operate on Ben's tumor; Danny says that Shephard (Jack) wasn't even on Jacob's list. Whether Kate and Sawyer are on Jacob's list is unknown, as is the identity of Jacob himself.
During "I Do" and "Not in Portland", Jack performs surgery on Ben, but mid-procedure takes Ben as a 'surgical hostage' and demands that Kate and Sawyer be released and be allowed to escape or he will let Ben die. Alex helps Kate and Sawyer escape, but asks that Kate and Sawyer help free Karl, who has been subject to a brainwashing video. Juliet is ordered by Ben to help Kate and Sawyer escape (after waking up after Jack has sabotaged his surgery) but in the process shoots and kills Danny, who has become obsessed with killing Sawyer after the death of his wife. Jack finishes the surgery and tells Kate to never come back for him. Kate and Sawyer sail back to the main island with Karl.
In "Stranger in a Strange Land", it is revealed that Juliet is about to be executed for murdering Danny, Jack stops this through bargaining with Ben, who instead orders that Juliet be 'marked.' Kate and Sawyer continue their journey back to the beach, but in the process Sawyer lets Karl go, much to Kate's dismay. As Kate and Sawyer have escaped, The Others leave The Hydra as the survivors would know their location. Before they leave for the main island, Jack and Juliet make a pact that they would work together to make sure that Ben keep his end of the deal by letting them both leave the island and return to the 'outside world'.
Rescuing Jack
After Kate and Sawyer return to camp, Kate immediately gathers John, Sayid, and Rousseau to go rescue Jack. On their way, using information John gathers from Mr. Eko's stick, they discover another station, called The Flame, in the jungle. It is inhabited by a man, Mikhail Bakunin, and Ms. Klugh, who is hiding in the basement. While there, Locke defeats a chess program running on Mikhail's computer, setting in motion a chain of events that concludes with the station exploding. After Sayid and Kate find Ms. Klugh and apprehend her, Mikhail shoots and kills her after an impassioned exchange in Russian. Kate, John, Sayid, and Rousseau keep Mikhail alive and continue their journey with the help of a map Sayid found at the station. When they find a sonic fence surrounding the Barracks, Locke apparently kills Mikhail by pushing him through its periphery.
Finding the Barracks, they discover Jack has made a deal with the Others: Ben's life for freedom for Kate and Sawyer and free passage for Jack off the island. Locke finds Ben and holds him at gunpoint while having an intense conversation with him; leaving Ben, he uses a quantity of C4 he took from The Flame station and blows up the submarine, which Jack and Juliet were about to board to leave the island. After Locke blows up the submarine, Ben reveals to Locke that they have his father, Anthony Cooper, captive, stating that he "came out of the box."
The next day, Locke confronts Kate and says that he's leaving with the Others and that Kate, along with Jack and Sayid, is being left behind. The Others don gas masks, gas Kate's room and Jack's house, and leave. Kate wakes up in the jungle handcuffed to Juliet. They travel back to the Barracks and encounter the monster on two occasions; the second time, Juliet prevents it from attacking them by activating the sonic fence, telling Kate that while they don't know what the monster is, they know that it doesn't like the fence's "sound field". In this process Juliet removes the handcuffs with the key which she had all along. Returning to the barracks, they reunite with Jack and Sayid. Jack insists that they return to the beach, along with Juliet, though Sayid and Kate have doubts about allowing Juliet to accompany them.
Locke's stay with The Others
After revealing that Anthony Cooper is on the island, Locke accepts Ben's offer to join The Others as they leave The Barracks. At their makeshift campsite, Ben says that Locke, not The Others, brought Cooper to the island and if he is to let go of his past and go any further with The Others, he must kill his father. Ben also reveals that ever since Locke arrived at The Barracks, Ben's recovery had been speeding up and that he can now walk with the aid of a walking stick. That night, The Others gather round Ben, Locke and Cooper as Locke refuses to kill his father despite Ben urging him to. The next day, Locke is approached by Richard and is told that if he cannot kill Cooper, he might be able to enlist Sawyer to do so. Richard reveals to Locke that Ben wanted to embarrass him the night before and should pay no mind to it, but Richard says that Locke is special and if he is to find his purpose, Cooper must die. The next day, as The Others are departing their camp, Ben tells Locke that they're leaving a trail and that Locke shouldn't bother following unless Locke is carrying his father's dead body on his back.
The following day, Locke approaches Sawyer while he is alone and tells him that he has Ben captured and wants Sawyer to kill him. Sawyer reluctantly accepts to go with Locke. They venture to the Black Rock, where Locke is keeping his father captive. He locks Sawyer in the brig with Cooper and refuses to let Sawyer out. As Sawyer is talking to Cooper, Cooper reveals that he was a conman and he went under many names, one of them being Tom Sawyer. Sawyer discovers the identity of the man who ruined his life and presents Cooper with the letter that Sawyer wrote. After tauting Sawyer, his parents and his letter, Sawyer strangles Cooper to death. Outside the Black Rock, Locke reveals to Sawyer that Juliet is a mole and that in 3 days, there is going to be a raid, in which The Others are going to kidnap the pregnant women amongst the survivors and that The Others don't want to hurt anyone. As proof of his claims, Locke presents Sawyer with the tape recording of Juliet's infiltration and pregnancy progress that was recorded in The Staff station. Locke also reveals that he's not going back with Sawyer and departs carrying his father's body on his back.
After returning to the Others' camp, Locke demands that Ben take him to see Jacob, the mysterious leader of the Others. When Mikhail returns to the camp, Locke seizes the opportunity to announce that Ben will be taking him to see Jacob. Mikhail expresses incredulity and Locke responds by beating him severely as the rest of the Others look on sedately, ignoring Ben when he tells Tom and Richard to assist. Ben makes no motion to stop Locke himself either, and they depart afterward. Alex meets them in the jungle and gives Locke a pistol, warning him that he will need it when he meets Jacob (although it is unclear how Alex could have known this, as Ben claimed that he was the only Other who had seen him). When they reach Jacob's house, it initially appears to Locke that Ben is schizophrenic; he is talking to an empty chair and acting like Jacob is sitting in it. Disgusted, Locke turns away. A voice creaks, "Help me." Locke, believing that Ben is playing tricks on him, calls Ben a fraud and shines a flashlight on him, disregarding his warning that Jacob hates technology. The house suddenly bursts into action, with fires erupting, chairs trembling, and glass shattering. Locke and Ben quickly evacuate the premises, but Locke is unconvinced that it was not an orchestration of Ben's. When Ben leads him to the open mass grave in which the bodies of the purged Dharma Initiative members are piled, Locke makes the mistake of getting between the Other and the grave. He suddenly whirls to use Alex's gun to shoot Ben, but Ben is quicker. The gut shot sends Locke falling backwards into the grave. Ben demands to know what Jacob said to Locke, who rasps, "'Help me.' He said, 'Help me.'" Ben replies, "Well I certainly hope he helps you, John!", before leaving him to die.
References
- ^ a b Official ABC Lost Podcast, May 19, 2006.