What They Died For

"What They Died For"

"What They Died For" is the sixteenth episode of the American Broadcasting Company's sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 119th and penultimate episode overall. The episode aired on May 18, 2010 on ABC in the United States. The episode was shown for approximately 1800 people at UCLA's Royce Hall on May 13, 2010 as a fundraiser for scholarships for the Colburn School of Performing Arts. It was written by executive producers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Elizabeth Sarnoff and directed by Paul Edwards.

Plot

2004 (flash-sideways timeline)

In the flash sideways timeline, Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) is found looking into a mirror at a blood stain on his neck, seemingly coming from nowhere. He then goes into the kitchen to eat breakfast with his newly discovered half-sister, Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin) and his son, David Shephard (Dylan Minnette), where they discuss David's upcoming concert that night. While eating, Jack receives a phone call apparently from Oceanic Airlines, stating to have found Jack's cargo that had been lost on flight 815: Christian Shepard's coffin. Jack hangs up the phone, but it is revealed to have been Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick) who had faked the phone call.

Desmond is later found waiting in his car outside the high school where John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) and Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) work. He appears to be attempting to run over Locke yet again, since Locke has been released from the hospital from the first time Desmond ran him over, but Ben jumps in front of the car and threatens to call the police. Desmond exits the car and begins to beat Ben senseless, telling him that he wasn't trying to hurt Locke, but trying to get him to "let go". While Ben is being beaten, he has flashes of Desmond beating him up in the original universe, as seen in Dead Is Dead.

Ben later meets Locke in the infirmary and conveys what happened and what was said between him and Desmond. After Locke hears this, he goes to see Jack in his office at the hospital. Locke tells him about them being on the same flight, Locke then being in a car accident and being brought to him of all doctors, and then about hearing Ben convey a message from Desmond that contained something Jack had said to Locke (getting him to "let go"), just as he had left the hospital from his injury. Locke states that he believes this is fate, and that it is his destiny for Jack to fix his wheelchair bound disability. While Jack denies that it is destiny, but coincidence, he seems to agree to help Locke. Ben meets Alex in the car park, who offers him a drive home with her mother Danielle Rousseau. She invites him to their home for a meal, and he accepts. Rousseau tells Ben that since Alex's father died, he has been the closest that she has had to a father.

Meanwhile, Desmond goes to the police station where Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Miles (Ken Leung) are employees, and Kate (Evangeline Lily) and Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) are being held as prisoners. Desmond confesses to Sawyer running over Locke and beating up Ben for seemingly no reason, and he is put in the same cell as Sayid by Sawyer, neighboring Kate's cell. A van arrives to transport Desmond, Kate, and Sayid, and they enter together. While they are driving away, Desmond explains to Kate and Sayid that the van is going to drop them off somewhere, and that he was going to set them free when they got there, under the condition that they promise to do something for him. Sayid and Kate seem skeptical, taking him to be crazy, and promise, thinking that it is all a joke.

The van, however, pulls over, and Ana Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez) opens the door and lets them out, demanding the money promised for setting them free. Desmond says it will be here soon as Ana Lucia sets the three of them free, and a Hummer is seen pulling up to them. Hurley (Jorge Garcia) exits with the money, giving it to Ana Lucia. Hurley seems to recognize Ana Lucia from the original universe, who is confused at how Hurley knows her. Hurley dismisses this, and then she leaves. Desmond then instructs Sayid to ride with Hurley and tells Kate to ride with himself. Kate and Sayid are still slightly dazed and confused at the events, but Sayid willingly goes with Hurley, and Kate turns to Desmond, asking him what this was all about. Desmond responds by handing Kate a dress and telling her they are going to a concert.

2007 (original timeline)

Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), Hurley Reyes (Jorge Garcia), and James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) wash up on a shore, having survived the submarine crash from The Candidate. While Jack is patching Kate's bullet hole received from one of the Widmore "others", Kate goes on to grieve for the loss of Sun and Jin Kwon in the submarine, realizing that Jin had never been able to see his daughter, Ji Yeon, before he died. Jack then informs the group that Sayid told them that they must find Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick), who was apparently left for dead at the bottom of a well, reasoning that since The Man in Black wanted Desmond dead, they would need him in the events to follow.

On their way to the well, a younger Jacob (Kenton Duty) confronts Hurley alone, demanding the ashes of his adult body. Hurley willingly gives them, but younger Jacob runs away with them without answering any of Hurley's questions. Hurley chases him through the jungle to a campfire, where he now finds the adult Jacob (Mark Pelligrino) waiting for him. Jacob instructs him to bring the others, telling Hurley that once the campfire burns out, they will not be able to see Jacob again.

Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sawyer make it to the campfire, where Jacob tells them that they were brought to the island to take his place as protector of the island, and they were chosen above others because they were like him. They, throughout their lives, had nothing to cling to, and felt alone in the world, stating that he brought them here because they needed to fill that empty hole with the island, just as badly as the island needed them. When Kate asks why her name had been crossed out, Jacob tells her that it was because she had raised Aaron, no longer needing the island, but also revealing that it was just a streak of chalk through her name, and she was still welcome to take the job if she wanted to. Sawyer asks Jacob what the island needed protecting from, and he answers that the light, the "heart" of the island, needs to be protected from the Man in Black (Locke). He then tells them that one of them needs to choose on their own who will be the next guardian. Jack steps forward, stating that it was why he was brought there. Jacob then gives Jack a cup of water, and Jack takes the drink, accepting his responsibility. Jacob then tells Jack that he is now like himself.

Meanwhile, Ben Linus (Michael Emerson), Miles (Ken Leung), and Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) are heading to the destroyed houses the Others and Dharma Initiative had once used. Ben is planning to go into his secret room where he was previously seen summoning the smoke monster, where he kept a stack of C4 that he was going to use to destroy the airplane that Locke was trying to leave the island in. He does this, but before they can leave the house, Widmore (Alan Dale) and Zoë (Sheila Kelley) are found in the house. Ben threatens to kill Widmore, who then claims that if he is killed, all hope will be lost.

Zoë is then sent to keep an eye out for The Man in Black (Terry O'Quinn). She sees him rowing to island, and immediately returns to Widmore. Widmore and Zoë decide to hide in Ben's secret closet, while Ben and Richard decide to attempt to talk to The Man in Black. Miles runs off into the woods away from the events. Almost immediately after Richard goes out of the house to look for The Man in Black, he, in his black smoke form, charges into Richard and sends him flying off screen. The Man in Black then reappears as Locke to talk to Ben, telling Ben he had more people to kill and wanted to know where Widmore was. Ben reveals Widmore's location.

The Man in Black and Ben find Widmore and Zoë hiding, and The Man in Black begins to interrogate them, but then slits Zoë's throat when Widmore's tells her not to say anything, The Man in Black claiming that she was useless if she couldn't talk. He then gets Widmore to tell him why he is here by offering to spare the life of his daughter once he leaves the island. Widmore initially refuses to speak until Ben leaves the room but The Man in Black convinces him to whisper the information to him. While Widmore is whispering into The Man in Black's ear, Ben shoots Widmore several times, killing him and coldly stating that "he doesn't get to save his daughter". The Man in Black claims that he had gotten the information he wanted regardless, and leaves with Ben, who ask if there are others he can kill.

The two arrive at the well where Desmond should have been, but it is empty and a rope is leading out of it. The Man in Black states there that he was glad he had escaped, and Ben asked why. He explains that Desmond is a "failsafe" that is keeping himself stuck to the island permanently now. Ben wonders why this is a good thing, because it contradicts earlier attempts of The Man in Black to leave the island, and The Man in Black explains that Desmond's unique resistance to electromagnetism is going to help him destroy the island instead.