Lighthouse (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"Lighthouse" is the fifth television episode of the American Broadcasting Company
's sixth season
of the serial drama television series Lost
and 108th episode overall. The episode aired on February 23, 2010 on ABC in the United States and 2 hours earlier on A in Canada due to the 2010 Winter Olympics
. The episode was written by showrunners and executive producers Damon Lindelof
and Carlton Cuse
and was directed by Jack Bender
. Jack Shephard
is the character centered on this episode.
In 2007, instructed by Jacob (Mark Pellegrino
), Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia
) brings Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
) to an unspecified place. Meanwhile, Jin-Soo Kwon
(Daniel Dae Kim) finds Claire Littleton
(Emilie de Ravin
) after 3 years of disappearance, but begins to question her sanity. In the "flash-sideways", Jack deals with the issues of parenthood.
", Jack Shephard
arrives late to pick up his son, David (Dylan Minnette
), from school. Returning home, Jack is asked by his mother (Veronica Hamel
) to visit her house and help her find his father's
will, leaving David alone. While there, they discuss David, who was quite upset when his grandfather died, but never showed it to Jack. She suggests that perhaps David is "terrified" of Jack, just as Jack was afraid of his father as a child. Finally, they find the will, but Jack's mother is surprised to see that Claire Littleton
(Emilie de Ravin
) is included in it. Jack returns home to find that David has snuck out. Jack goes to David's mother's house, where he learns that David is at an important piano recital. Jack goes to the school, where David performs a stunning interpretation of Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu
on the piano. Jack also runs into Dogen (Hiroyuki Sanada
), another parent at the event, who praises David's skill and believes he has a gift. Afterward, David admits that he didn't tell Jack about the recital for fear of disappointing him. Jack explains his complicated relationship with his father and reassures his son that he can never be a disappointment to him.
", at the Others' temple, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia
) is approached by the deceased Jacob (Mark Pellegrino
), who sends Hurley on a mission: Someone is coming to the Island; he and Jack must travel somewhere in order to aid their arrival. Hurley has free rein to complete the mission because he is a candidate and even Dogen cannot stop him. Hurley uses the phrase "you have what it takes
" to recruit Jack. Along the way, Jack and Hurley encounter Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
), who tells them that she will neither return to the temple nor go with them, but continue her search for Claire. Jack and Hurley eventually pass through the caves, encountering Jack's father's coffin and the "Adam & Eve" skeletons
. Hurley speculates that due to time travel, the skeletons could be someone they know in the present.
Jack and Hurley arrive at a lighthouse, at the top of which is a large dial and a series of mirrors lined up. Each notch on the dial has a name listed next to it, corresponding to the surnames and numbers seen in "The Substitute
". Hurley begins to move the dial to 108 degrees as instructed by Jacob, but Jack turns the dial to the 23 mark, where his own surname is listed, revealing Jack's childhood home in the reflection, causing Jack to become extremely upset. He angrily interrogates Hurley, who is unable to answer any of his questions, leading Jack to destroy the mirrors. Outside, Jacob reappears to Hurley, congratulating him on bringing Jack to the lighthouse. Hurley realizes that Jacob did not want them to send a signal from the lighthouse, but instead needed Jack to see into the mirror and realize that he is important to the Island. Jacob also divulges that he needed to get Jack and Hurley away from the temple because "someone bad" was coming there.
At the same time, Jin-Soo Kwon
(Daniel Dae Kim) is rescued by Claire from her trap, taking him and an injured Other, Justin, to her hideout. She treats Jin's leg injury and then threatens to kill Justin unless he tells her the location of her son Aaron. Justin helplessly says that he has no idea where Aaron is and the Others never kidnapped him. Claire believes that the Others have her baby because both her father and "her friend" told her so. Jin informs her that Kate has been raising Aaron off the island. Claire murders Justin, regardless, claiming he would do the same to her given the chance. Jin then claims that he was lying about Aaron earlier, leading Claire to say she would have killed Kate if it were true. Later, Claire's "friend", who turns out to be the Man in Black
(Terry O'Quinn
), shows up as Jin and Claire discuss how to return to the temple.
awarded a score of 71 out of 100. This was down on the previous week's episode, which scored an 88 out of 100. Chris Carbot of IGN
gave the episode a positive review, saying "Lighthouse isn’t filled with the wall-to-wall excitement of last week’s Locke-centric story but it still has plenty of great moments and surprising revelations." Overall, he gave the episode a score of 8.8. Noel Murray of The A.V. Club
praised the episode, and gave the episode a grade of A-. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly
gave the episode a positive review as well, stating "tonight’s episode, “Lighthouse,” was not as awesome as last week’s episode, “The Substitute,” nor was it as mind-melting as the season premiere, “LA X.” But it was certainly better than “What Kate Does" … [and] the more I sit with this episode, the more I’m digging it." James Poniewozik of Time
gave the episode a positive review as well, stating the episode "moved the endgame forward"
However, some critics gave the episode mixed reviews. Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune
thought, "If I have any recurring complaint this season, it’s this: A great episode of 'Lost' works as an hour of TV. It may leave you with questions but it doesn’t leave you thinking you have to wait three or four or six more weeks to figure out certain basic facts about what’s going on". Also, Eric Deggans of St. Petersburg Times
gave the episode a negative review, criticizing Jack's storylines while praising Claire's, "this is the new rhythm for Lost’s final season; one groundbreaking episode filled with revelations and amazing characterizations, followed by an episode so static it feels as if the show is running in place … interesting moments came when it turned to the story of Claire in the post-crash timeline "
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...
's sixth season
Lost (season 6)
The sixth and final season of the American serial drama television series Lost commenced airing in the United States and Canada on February 2, 2010. The sixth-season premiere was the first to climb in the ratings year-over-year since the second season, drawing 12.1 million viewers. The season...
of the serial drama television series Lost
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 108th episode overall. The episode aired on February 23, 2010 on ABC in the United States and 2 hours earlier on A in Canada due to the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. The episode was written by showrunners and executive producers Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American television writer and executive, most recently noted as the co-creator and executive producer for the television series Lost. He has written for and produced Crossing Jordan, and wrote for Nash Bridges, Wasteland, and the MTV anthology series Undressed...
and Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse is an AmericanEmmy Award winning screenwriter and producer, most famous as executive producer andscreenwriter for the American television series Lost for...
and 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...
. Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
is the character centered on this episode.
In 2007, instructed by Jacob (Mark Pellegrino
Mark Pellegrino
Mark Ross Pellegrino is an American actor of film and television. He is best known for his work on Lost as Jacob and for playing Lucifer on Supernatural.-Career:...
), Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia
Jorge Garcia
Jorge García is a U.S. actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker and later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian.-Early life:García was born...
) brings Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
) to an unspecified place. Meanwhile, Jin-Soo Kwon
Jin-Soo Kwon
Jin-Soo Kwon, better known as "Jin," is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Daniel Dae Kim.- Prior to the crash :...
(Daniel Dae Kim) finds 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....
) after 3 years of disappearance, but begins to question her sanity. In the "flash-sideways", Jack deals with the issues of parenthood.
2004 (flash-sideways timeline)
Following the events of the season premiere, "LA XLA X
"LA X" comprises the 104th and 105th episodes of the American Broadcasting Company's Lost, marking the premiere of the sixth and final season. It was written by show runners/executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed by executive producer Jack Bender...
", Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
arrives late to pick up his son, David (Dylan Minnette
Dylan Minnette
Dylan Christopher Minnette is an American teen actor and musician.-Life and career:Minnette was born in Evansville, Indiana to Robyn Maker-Minnette, moved briefly to Champaign, Illinois for 5 years, and later moved to Los Angeles to continue his acting career.His first role was a single episode of...
), from school. Returning home, Jack is asked by his mother (Veronica Hamel
Veronica Hamel
Veronica Hamel is an American actress.- Biography :After Hamel graduated from Temple University, she worked as a secretary for a company that manufactured ironing board covers. She began a fashion modeling career after being discovered by Eileen Ford...
) to visit her house and help her find his father's
Christian Shephard
Dr. Christian Shephard is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by John Terry. He is the father of lead characters Jack Shephard , who becomes the de facto leader of the survivors of Oceanic 815 after it crashes on an island, and Claire Littleton , another of the survivors...
will, leaving David alone. While there, they discuss David, who was quite upset when his grandfather died, but never showed it to Jack. She suggests that perhaps David is "terrified" of Jack, just as Jack was afraid of his father as a child. Finally, they find the will, but Jack's mother is surprised to see that Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton
Claire Littleton is a fictional character played by Emilie de Ravin on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of the survivors of a plane crash in the South Pacific. Claire is introduced in the pilot episode as a pregnant crash survivor. She is a series regular until her...
(Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
) is included in it. Jack returns home to find that David has snuck out. Jack goes to David's mother's house, where he learns that David is at an important piano recital. Jack goes to the school, where David performs a stunning interpretation of Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu
Fantaisie-Impromptu
Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 66, is a solo piano composition and one of his best-known pieces. It was composed in 1834 and dedicated to Julian Fontana, who published the piece in spite of Chopin's request not to do so....
on the piano. Jack also runs into Dogen (Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada
is a Japanese actor.-Life and career:Sanada was born in Tokyo. Originally aiming to be an action star, starting with shorinji kempo, he eventually took up Kyokushin kaikan Sanada began training at age 11 with actor and martial arts star Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club where he developed good...
), another parent at the event, who praises David's skill and believes he has a gift. Afterward, David admits that he didn't tell Jack about the recital for fear of disappointing him. Jack explains his complicated relationship with his father and reassures his son that he can never be a disappointment to him.
2007 (original timeline)
Following the events of the episode "What Kate DoesWhat Kate Does
"What Kate Does" is the 106th television episode of the American Broadcasting Company's Lost and third episode of the sixth season. It was written by executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed in September 2009 by Paul Edwards. "What Kate Does" was first aired February 9, 2010...
", at the Others' temple, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia
Jorge Garcia
Jorge García is a U.S. actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker and later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian.-Early life:García was born...
) is approached by the deceased Jacob (Mark Pellegrino
Mark Pellegrino
Mark Ross Pellegrino is an American actor of film and television. He is best known for his work on Lost as Jacob and for playing Lucifer on Supernatural.-Career:...
), who sends Hurley on a mission: Someone is coming to the Island; he and Jack must travel somewhere in order to aid their arrival. Hurley has free rein to complete the mission because he is a candidate and even Dogen cannot stop him. Hurley uses the phrase "you have what it takes
White Rabbit (Lost)
"White Rabbit" is the fifth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Kevin Hooks and written by Christian Taylor. It first aired on October 20, 2004 on ABC. The character of Jack Shephard is featured in the episode's flashback.-Flashbacks:A young Jack and a friend are...
" to recruit Jack. Along the way, Jack and Hurley encounter 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:...
), who tells them that she will neither return to the temple nor go with them, but continue her search for Claire. Jack and Hurley eventually pass through the caves, encountering Jack's father's coffin and the "Adam & Eve" skeletons
House of the Rising Sun (Lost)
"House of the Rising Sun" is the sixth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Michael Zinberg and written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. It first aired on October 27, 2004 on ABC....
. Hurley speculates that due to time travel, the skeletons could be someone they know in the present.
Jack and Hurley arrive at a lighthouse, at the top of which is a large dial and a series of mirrors lined up. Each notch on the dial has a name listed next to it, corresponding to the surnames and numbers seen in "The Substitute
The Substitute (Lost)
"The Substitute" is the fourth television episode of the American Broadcasting Company's sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 107th episode overall. The episode aired on February 16, 2010 on ABC. It was directed by Tucker Gates and written by executive producer Elizabeth...
". Hurley begins to move the dial to 108 degrees as instructed by Jacob, but Jack turns the dial to the 23 mark, where his own surname is listed, revealing Jack's childhood home in the reflection, causing Jack to become extremely upset. He angrily interrogates Hurley, who is unable to answer any of his questions, leading Jack to destroy the mirrors. Outside, Jacob reappears to Hurley, congratulating him on bringing Jack to the lighthouse. Hurley realizes that Jacob did not want them to send a signal from the lighthouse, but instead needed Jack to see into the mirror and realize that he is important to the Island. Jacob also divulges that he needed to get Jack and Hurley away from the temple because "someone bad" was coming there.
At the same time, Jin-Soo Kwon
Jin-Soo Kwon
Jin-Soo Kwon, better known as "Jin," is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Daniel Dae Kim.- Prior to the crash :...
(Daniel Dae Kim) is rescued by Claire from her trap, taking him and an injured Other, Justin, to her hideout. She treats Jin's leg injury and then threatens to kill Justin unless he tells her the location of her son Aaron. Justin helplessly says that he has no idea where Aaron is and the Others never kidnapped him. Claire believes that the Others have her baby because both her father and "her friend" told her so. Jin informs her that Kate has been raising Aaron off the island. Claire murders Justin, regardless, claiming he would do the same to her given the chance. Jin then claims that he was lying about Aaron earlier, leading Claire to say she would have killed Kate if it were true. Later, Claire's "friend", who turns out to be the Man in Black
Man in Black (Lost)
The entity referred to most frequently as the Man in Black is a fictional character on the American ABC television series Lost, and is the main antagonist of the...
(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,...
), shows up as Jin and Claire discuss how to return to the temple.
Reception
The episode received positive reviews. MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
awarded a score of 71 out of 100. This was down on the previous week's episode, which scored an 88 out of 100. Chris Carbot of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a positive review, saying "Lighthouse isn’t filled with the wall-to-wall excitement of last week’s Locke-centric story but it still has plenty of great moments and surprising revelations." Overall, he gave the episode a score of 8.8. Noel Murray of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
praised the episode, and gave the episode a grade of A-. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the episode a positive review as well, stating "tonight’s episode, “Lighthouse,” was not as awesome as last week’s episode, “The Substitute,” nor was it as mind-melting as the season premiere, “LA X.” But it was certainly better than “What Kate Does" … [and] the more I sit with this episode, the more I’m digging it." James Poniewozik of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
gave the episode a positive review as well, stating the episode "moved the endgame forward"
However, some critics gave the episode mixed reviews. Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
thought, "If I have any recurring complaint this season, it’s this: A great episode of 'Lost' works as an hour of TV. It may leave you with questions but it doesn’t leave you thinking you have to wait three or four or six more weeks to figure out certain basic facts about what’s going on". Also, Eric Deggans of St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
gave the episode a negative review, criticizing Jack's storylines while praising Claire's, "this is the new rhythm for Lost’s final season; one groundbreaking episode filled with revelations and amazing characterizations, followed by an episode so static it feels as if the show is running in place … interesting moments came when it turned to the story of Claire in the post-crash timeline "