The Lie

"The Lie" is the second episode of Season 5 of Lost, originally broadcast as the second hour of the Season 5 premiere on January 21, 2009, immediately following "Because You Left". It is the eighty-eighth produced hour of the series as a whole. Jack and Ben begin their quest to reunite the Oceanic Six—along with the body of John Locke—while the remaining survivors begin to feel the effects caused by the Island being moved.

Synopsis

On the Island

Late 1954

At the beach, the survivors gather wood in order to start a fire. Rose and Bernard bicker over the best way to do so. Neil "Frogurt" approaches and tells them that they have bigger issues right now. Sawyer and Juliet discuss the Zodiac raft still being with them at this point in time. Juliet mentions that whatever they had with them when they moved is "along for the ride."

Daniel returns to the beach, and is confronted by Sawyer and Juliet. Daniel lies about what he was doing in the jungle, telling Sawyer that he left his pack behind and had to find it. Juliet says that they should take the raft and head to a shipping lane, which Daniel immediately disagrees with, saying he needs to calculate a new bearing as he unpacks a sextant, and in order to do that he needs to determine "where they are, in time". Miles declares that he's going to find something for them to eat, while Juliet looks on skeptically.

At night, Bernard is still attempting to get a fire going, while the other survivors wait impatiently, especially Neil. Charlotte says she has a headache still and that she forgot her mother's maiden name earlier, a fact that Daniel doesn't seem to find odd. Charlotte asks if he knows what's happening to her. Before he can answer, Miles strolls out the jungle with a dead boar, saying he found it. Neil begins to insult the survivors about their current predicament, complaining that, among other things, they can't even start a fire, and is suddenly hit in the chest with a flaming arrow. Suddenly, the camp is set upon by a rain of fiery arrows from an unseen enemy, later revealed to be the Others. The survivors begin to run into the jungle, with both Miles and Sawyer narrowly escaping. As they escape, several other survivors are shot down.

Later on, Sawyer and Juliet trek through the jungle to meet up with those who survived the attack.

They hide as they see three figures walk by in front of them, figures they don't recognize. As they debate their identity, they are grabbed by a group of three men, and one of them (identified as "Jones" on his shirt) forcefully asks, "What are you doing on our island?" demanding to know how many of them there are, and how they got there.

Despite Sawyer's attempts to reason with him and provide the information he wants, "Jones" orders one of the other men (labeled "Mattingly") to cut Juliet's hand off, while she is held down by the third man ("Cunningham"). Suddenly, stones fly through the air, knocking "Jones" and "Mattingly" over, and Juliet grabs one of their guns. Just as "Mattingly" gets up with a knife and is about to attack Sawyer, another knife flies through the air, killing him.

As they hold the other two men at gunpoint, Locke reveals himself, pulls his weapon out of the dead man's chest, and greets Sawyer and Juliet. ♪♪

Off the Island

Flashback

January 3, 2005

On Penny's boat the Searcher, the Oceanic Six, Penny, Desmond, and Frank discuss what to tell the world when they return to the mainland. Hurley tells Jack that their lie will be found out, while Sayid worries that it is risky, and a decision that will affect the rest of their lives. ♪

Jack remains adamant that they must lie, and asks if they are all okay with it. Reluctantly, everyone agrees except Hurley, who believes that people will listen if they all tell them the truth. Jack tells Hurley that lying will protect the people who are left on the Island from Charles Widmore.

Penny tells Hurley that calling her father off is an impossibility, and Jack says that no one will believe Hurley anyway. Hurley argues that if others verify his story, people will believe it, and looks to Sayid for support. Sayid agrees with Jack that they have no other choice, much to Hurley's dismay.

Hurley tells Sayid that he will remember the decision and that when Sayid needs his help one day, he will not get it.

2007

Hurley frantically drives around with an unconscious Sayid after their narrow escape from the safe house. Trying to buckle Sayid's seatbelt, he attracts the attention of a police vehicle by hitting a trashcan on the curb, and he anxiously pulls over. As the police officer approaches the window, Hurley opens it and realizes it is Ana Lucia. She scolds him for pulling over and driving like a maniac. She asks Hurley what he would have done had she been real, especially with pictures on the news showing Hurley covered in blood with a gun in his hand. Hurley replies that it's just ketchup from the drive-through meal.

Ana Lucia instructs him to get some more clothes and then to take Sayid to someone he trusts. She strongly advises him to stay away from cops and not get arrested. She turns to leave, but pauses and nonchalantly says, "Oh, yeah, Libby says 'Hi.'" Hurley looks backward, and realizing there is no sign of Ana Lucia or her police car, he starts the engine and drives away. ♪

Later on, Hurley attempts to revive Sayid on his own, but to no avail. He takes some cash off Sayid, puts Sayid's sunglasses on Sayid to hide his unconscious state, and walks into a gas station where he buys some new clothes for himself. ♪ The girl at the cash register says she recognizes him, and Hurley sees a report on the television screen behind her about him and the people that Sayid killed at Santa Rosa and the safe house. Hurley says that she's got him mixed up with someone else, but she claims that he's the guy who won the lottery and crashed in that plane. Hurley tells her to keep the change and leaves quickly.

Kate pulls into the gas station, just missing Hurley and Sayid, who left in the other direction. Not knowing what to do, Kate contemplates phoning Jack, but thinks better of it. Her phone begins to ring however, and she answers it to an "unknown caller" we cannot hear. She expresses relief that the person is in Los Angeles, and they agree on a place to meet. When Aaron asks where they are going, Kate responds, "to see a friend." ♪

Kate takes Aaron to a penthouse of a large hotel where they meet Sun. Sun shows Kate pictures of Ji Yeon and states that she would like Aaron and Ji Yeon to play together. Kate tells Sun about the lawyers who came to visit her asking about testing her and her "son." ♪ Sun tells Kate that they weren't interested in exposing their lie; they just wanted Aaron. Sun tells Kate that she needs to do what she must to take care of Aaron, and that she didn't rescue Jin from the freighter like she said she would. ♪ Kate apologizes, but Sun says she doesn't blame her for what she did. ♪ She asks Kate how Jack is.

In a hotel room, Ben is seen taking something out of a vent space, and placing it in his bag without Jack noticing. ♪ He tells Jack that he flushed his pills down the toilet, to which Jack responds that he was going to do the same thing. Ben tells Jack to go home and pack anything that he wants "in this life," because he won't ever be coming back. "Good," Jack replies. Ben says he is going to keep Locke's body safe. Jack asks Ben why he needs to keep Locke's body "safe" if he's dead. Ben doesn't answer the question, but tells Jack he will pick him up in six hours. ♪

Later on, Ben arrives at a butcher shop and begins talking to a woman named Jill. ♪ She knows who he is, and that he has Locke's coffin in his van. Ben asks her if Gabriel and Jeffrey had "checked in yet," which Jill confirms. She comments that everything is moving "right on schedule." Ben tells Jill to keep Locke's body safe, or everything they're about to do won't matter at all.

David is at his mansion, watching an episode of Exposé, when Hurley arrives carrying Sayid on his back. ♪ David claims that Sayid is barely breathing. Hurley tells him what happened, but David believes he's lying to him. An LAPD detective and his partner arrives at the mansion, and David tells him that he hasn't seen Hurley. Hurley doesn't give much away when questioned by his father, but tells him they can't go to a hospital, and Hurley says he has an idea. Hurley notes that the police are staking out the mansion, and David asks his son if he is, in fact, crazy. Hurley tells him he has a good reason to lie. ♪ Before Hurley can answer his father why he's lying, Carmen Reyes returns home, and tells Hurley that Sayid is not breathing. Hurley frantically runs to Sayid, notices that he's breathing and tells his dad that they need to go. As Carmen asks Hurley what is going on, David leaves the house in his car, nervously waving at the police as he drives past. Hurley tells his mother all about the Island, the whole truth, and breaks down. She comforts him and says she doesn't understand it, but she believes him. ♪ David meets up with Jack and asks if he can trust him.

David shows Jack that he has Sayid in the back of his jeep. Jack wants to know who is with Hurley at the mansion, and takes Sayid to the St. Sebastian Hospital. David tells Jack to stay away from Hurley. ♪ At the hospital, Jack phones Ben and tells him that Sayid has shown up. ♪ Ben looks worried about this.

Jack treats Sayid, who awakens and attacks Jack. ♪ When Sayid realizes who it is, he calms down and expresses anxiety about where Hurley is and who is with him.

Back at the mansion, Ben scares Hurley by appearing at his house. Hurley doesn't trust Ben, but Ben attempts to persuade him to come with him, saying that he'll take Hurley to Sayid and Jack. He tells him that he can help him, and get him back to the Island where he won't have to lie anymore, where it will all be over. ♪ Hurley thinks about it for a moment, remembers Sayid's admonition never to do what he is told by Linus, then mutters, "Never, dude," and runs out the front door to surrender to the police outside, confessing, "I killed four people. Three people. However many are dead, I killed them." Telling them to get him away from the house, Hurley looks back to where Ben stands watching, and smiles.

Later, a hooded figure is seen in a strange room with computers and a chalk board on which she is adding an equation to others already on the board. ♪ A large pendulum can be seen in the foreground, tracing with a chalk on a large map. The map features several sets of intersecting lines in the Pacific Ocean and at least one set in the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida. The figure appears to be working out the co-ordinates of the Island using a computer very similar (but not identical) to the ones found in the Pearl and Swan stations.

There appears to be a DHARMA logo of an unknown station on the monitor, as well as on a number of DHARMA binders on either side. The screen flashes "Event Window Determined" and the figure ponders the pendulum.

The figure goes up some stairs into a room where we see Ben lighting some candles in a church. Ben is told he only has 70 hours to complete his work, to which he says he needs more. The figure is revealed to be Ms. Hawking. She states that if Ben can't get all of the Oceanic Six members back in 70 hours, then "God help us all." ♪♪

Trivia

• Jack Bender's dog, Ms. Honolulu, is pictured on the "I love my wirehaired" shirt, but Hurley selects a shih-tzu shirt instead. The shih-tzu t-shirt bears the image of Edward Kitsis' dog, Stewart. ("Juliet & Sawyer")
• Jack treats Sayid with an intramuscular shot of adrenaline. This drug is used mainly in emergency cases (i.e. cardiac arrest, apnea) and to treat anaphylactic reactions. Usually, the shot is given intravenously.
• The Foucault Pendulum is tracing over a giant map. Alaska can be seen in the upper left and Australia in the lower left. But since pendulums always rotate along the same point (directly under the point where it's held) it could not be very useful to find any location on the map, as the "intersection point" of the lines would always be the same. It could, however, be used to determine the bearing of entry needed to approach said location. It is also feasible that the Pendulum possibly traces certain positions of the island, through time.
• A quote from Hurley's mom in this episode ("Why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?") has become a popular Google search suggestion, causing people ignorant of that particular scene some disturbance.

Production notes

• This is the only episode of the season in which all main characters appear.
  • Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) appears without speaking lines in the opening flashback. Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) only appears in reused footage from "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2".
• Michelle Rodriguez (Ana Lucia) makes her first appearance since the Season 2 episode "?", an absence of 42 episodes.
  • This is the last time a former main cast member has been credited as a "special guest star."
• The fates of Rose and Bernard following the flaming arrow attack wouldn't be revealed until "The Incident, Part 1".
• Lapidus fetches two bottles of Jekyll Island Red Ale, a prop beer brand from Independent Studio Services, also seen in the shows Dexter and Rules of Attraction.
• The "bowtie" badge on the front of Hurley and Sayid's Chevrolet Blazer is covered up.
• Together with "Because You Left", this was the highest rated episode of Season 5 on ABC, with a total of 13.316 million viewers.
• A "Lost: On Location" for this episode is available on the Season 5 DVD.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• The same photo (of two men at a slaughterhouse) is used both behind the counter and next to the door at Jill's butcher shop.
• The SUV's emblem is first taped over with black tape when Hurley gets pulled over, then is silvered over when they leave the gas station.
• In the scene where the survivors are running from the flaming arrows, one of the extras that is hit in the chest can be clearly seen wearing fire protection on his face.
• When Ben finishes lighting a votive candle in the final scene, he blows out his stick twice.
• When Hurley is pulled over by Ana Lucia as a police officer, the first exterior shot looking down the street behind the vehicles shows a straight four-lane road with traffic lights; however, the street reflected in Hurley's mirror—during the stop and the exterior shot after Ana Lucia leaves—shows a curving two-lane road without traffic lights.
• When Charlotte is walking toward Daniel on the beach, she walks just in front of Neil's path. When the camera angle changes, Neil is no longer behind her as he should be.
• Carmen, Hurley's mother, doesn't seem to recognize Sayid, even though she saw him at least twice: when the Oceanic Six got off the plane (and her son introduced him to her), and at Hurley's birthday party. On the other hand, Hurley's father seems to recognize Sayid.
• The board with changing Island coordinates is incorrect. Latitude should be marked north/south and longitude east/west. They are reversed on the board.

Music

The Season 5 soundtrack includes the track "The Swinging Bendulum" from this episode.

Analysis

Recurring themes

• The episode's title is "The Lie." (Deceptions and cons)
• The Oceanic Six discuss the lie they will tell upon rescue. (Secrets)
• Ben's ticket at the butcher shop has a white 3 and a black 42. (The Numbers) (Black and white)
• Hurley is arrested. (Imprisonment)
• Hurley chooses to buy a shirt that reads "I ♥ My Shih Tzu" over a shirt that reads "I ♥ My Wirehaired." (Animals)
• Hurley and his father lay the unconscious Sayid on a pool table when they first arrive at their house. (Games)
• Hurley confesses to his mother the lie they are telling. (Secrets)
• Hurley and Kate both drive to the same gas station, the former leaving just as the latter arrives. (Coincidences)
• In the gas station scene, all of the Oceanic Six appear or are explicitly referenced: Hurley and Sayid in the truck, Kate and Aaron in the SUV, Sun's voice on the cell phone, and Jack's name on the cell's display. (Character connections)
• Ben, in a rare occurrence, shows deference to another person. (Relationships)
• Ben and Ms. Hawking meet in a church. (Religion)
• Neil is called "Frogurt" by Sawyer. Neil calls Bernard "Bernie the dentist" and Sawyer "inbred." (Nicknames)
• Hurley tells his mother that Sayid is a "good guy." (Good and bad people)
• Sun shows Kate a photo of Ji Yeon. (Children)
• Kate tells Aaron to press "31" (3+1=4) (Numbers)

Cultural references

• Bloop: Hurley uses the onomatopoeia "bloop" in describing the disappearance of the island. This is likely a reference to the mysterious "Bloop" sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1997. (History)  (Science)
• Watch Mr. Wizard: Sawyer calls Faraday "Dr. Wizard" - corrected to "Mr. Wizard" by Miles - a reference to the multi-decade science show for children that appeared on television. (Movies and TV)
• "Dream Police": This song by Cheap Trick is playing in the convenience store that Hurley stops in to buy new clothes. (Music)
• Slaughterhouse-Five: The slaughterhouse picture evokes this book by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. in which the protagonist Billy Pilgrim "has become unstuck in time". (Literary works)
• Foucault's Pendulum: The scene where Ms. Hawking is using a pendulum to pinpoint a secret location on a map refers to a similar scene at the climax of this novel by Umberto Eco. The novel deals with a trio of writers and publishers satirizing the use of conspiracy theories, superstition, and numerology rampant in submitted manuscripts. Their satirical theory inadvertently becomes realized by inspiring the true believers. (Literary works)
  • A Foucault pendulum is a device to prove the rotation of earth: normal pendulums always swing the same direction, no matter how you turn it, therefore its own rotation is due to the rotation of the earth.
• The Godfather: Hurley mentions a hospital scene from this 1972 film, based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. (Movies and TV)  (Literary works)
• Cuisinart: Neil mentions this brand of small kitchen appliances, popular in the United States. (Ideologies)

Literary techniques

• Ana Lucia tells Hurley that he has to get Sayid somewhere safe because they have "work to do." (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Ms. Hawking tells Ben "Then God help us all." (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Hurley tells Sayid that when he needs his help he won't get it. He spends the rest of the episode trying to find help for Sayid. (Irony)
• Neil is hit with a flaming arrow after saying that they "can't even get fire." (Irony)
• Neil, who was known for making frozen yogurt, burned to death after complaining that the survivors couldn't even make fire. (Irony) (Juxtaposition)
• Aaron says to Kate, "Mommy, I wanna go home," while the two were in the gas station parking lot. It is unknown to him that Ben is on a mission for the Oceanic Six to return to his true home where his real mother was last seen. (Irony)
• When Sawyer asks for Frogurt's shirt, Frogurt retorts, "What does it matter? We're all going to be dead by sundown." (Foreshadowing)
• Several random islanders are killed by the flaming arrows. Neil is wearing a red shirt when he gets shot. (Redshirt)
• Sun presents the same moral dilemma to Kate as Ben did to Michael: what would you do for your son? (Juxtaposition)
• Hurley surrenders to the police and is arrested, after Ana Lucia tells him: "Stay away from the cops, do not get arrested." (Irony)
• Ms. Hawking presents to Ben the same dire warning she did to Desmond when he wanted to change the future. (Juxtaposition)  (Plot twist)
• The downstairs area where Ms. Hawking works appears to be a scientific laboratory, while the upstairs looks to be a sanctuary. (Juxtaposition)  (Irony)
• Frank, originally described by Naomi as a drunk, drinks one of the beers and gives the other to Desmond, the only other character on the boat that has had a drinking problem in the past. (Irony)
• The convenience store clerk accuses Hurley of lying, and he replies that he doesn't believe in lying, foreshadowing his later confession to his mother. (Foreshadowing)
• At first, Jack is certain nobody would believe Hurley about the truth, but when Hurley does tell the truth to his mother, she believes him. (Juxtaposition)
• When Ben is trying to convince Hurley to return to the Island with him, he says "you will never have to lie again." Upon returning to the Island, Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sayid are forced to lie and work for DHARMA. (Irony)

Storyline analysis

• Kate considers calling Jack but decides not to. (Relationships)
• Hurley is a murder suspect. (Crimes)
• Sawyer takes a leadership role on the Island. (Leadership)
• Jack begins to help Ben gather the Oceanic 6. (A-Missions)

Episode connections

Episode references

• Hurley recounts various moments on the Island. The plane crash and monster ("Pilot, Part 1"), the Others' attacking them ("Raised by Another"), finding the hatch ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"), the Others killing DHARMA ("The Man Behind the Curtain"), the Others trying to kill the survivors ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1"), the freigher being sent by Charles Widmore ("The Other Woman"), the freigher explosion and rescue. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")
• The gas station attendant, Darlene, recognizes Hurley from winning the lottery. ("Numbers")
• Ben says he flushed Jack's pills down the toilet. ("Through the Looking Glass")
• Hurley's father asks Hurley if he is "wanted again." ("The Beginning of the End")
• Sun shows Kate a photo of Ji Yeon. ("Ji Yeon")
• The opening flashback fills the gap between finding the Searcher and rowing to Manukangga. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")
• Sun refers to Jin's death on the freighter. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 3")
• Kate tells Sun that someone is trying to get a blood sample from her and Aaron. ("Because You Left")
• Hurley says Sayid warned him about Ben. ("Because You Left")

Episode allusions

• The woman Ben meets in the church is Ms. Hawking. ("Flashes Before Your Eyes")
• Hurley's father is seen watching Exposé. ("Exposé")
• Sawyer and Juliet hide behind the bushes and see unknown people walking. Then only can see their feet. This scene is similar to when Eko and Jin saw the Others in the jungle. ("...And Found")

Unanswered questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Lie/Theories

• Who are Gabriel and Jeffrey and what is their connection to Ben?
• What is in the bag Ben retrieved from the hotel vent?
• What does Locke's body have to be protected from?

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