Orientation (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"Orientation" is the third episode of the second season of Lost
and the 28th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender
, and written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach
and Craig Wright
. It first aired on October 5, 2005 on ABC
.
Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
), John Locke
(Terry O'Quinn
) and Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
) learn about the mysterious hatch from Desmond Hume
(Henry Ian Cusick
). On the other side of the island, Michael Dawson
(Harold Perrineau), James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
) and Jin-Soo Kwon
(Daniel Dae Kim) are imprisoned by people they believe to be the "Others."
), approaches him in sympathy, and they become romantically involved. After spending the night together, Helen wakes up to find Locke getting dressed, claiming he is uncomfortable sleeping in an unfamiliar bed. He goes out to sit in his car outside his father's (Kevin Tighe
) estate. His father confronts him, saying he knows that Locke has been stalking him, and tells him that he's not wanted.
To celebrate six months together, Helen gives Locke a present: her house key, under the condition that he stop going to his father's house. Locke agrees, but is unable to keep his word. Helen eventually follows and confronts him. She says he is afraid of moving past what his father has done, and of moving forward with her. She tells him it is meant to be difficult, because what she is asking from him is a leap of faith.
Desmond explains that three years earlier, his boat crashed on the island. He then met a man who enlisted his help in his sole duty: entering a code into the computer every 108 minutes. Desmond claims that "the end of the world" will come if the button is not pressed.
He directs Jack and Locke to watch a short film narrated by a scientist called Dr. Marvin Candle (François Chau
). This film describes a project called the DHARMA Initiative
, states the name and rough purpose of the hatch as an electromagnetic
research station called "The Swan", and explains that the viewers must enter a code into the computer every 108 minutes. Jack believes that all this is just a social experiment, but Locke feels the film should be taken at its word. Desmond attempts to power up the computer, without success. He panics and leaves.
Jack runs after Desmond in the woods. Desmond recognizes him as a man who he met in a stadium, and asks what happened to the girl Jack was operating on. Jack, upset, answers that he married her - but he's not married anymore. Desmond leaves, and Jack returns to the compound.
Sayid Jarrah
(Naveen Andrews
) successfully repairs the computer. Locke tells Jack he should be the one to hit the button, but Jack refuses. As the alarms sound, Locke asks Jack why it is so hard to believe, and Jack asks Locke why he finds it so easy. Locke tells him it was never easy, but that Jack needs to make a leap of faith of his own. With one second to spare, Jack presses the button. The clock resets.
) is later dropped into the pit. She introduces herself as Ana Lucia Cortez
, another survivor of Oceanic Flight 815. Ana Lucia was in the tail section, which crashed on the opposite side of the island from the fuselage. Sawyer tells her that he plans to shoot the guard the next time he appears. Ana Lucia suddenly grabs Sawyer's gun and calls for the guard
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
); she was simply a plant.
and drag on. The solution they found was shooting the computer, which would create a crisis and tension as the device needed to be repaired in eight minutes, and also allow for new information to be given "on the fly".
This episode marks the first appearance of series regular Mr. Eko
, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
, where he was only shown briefly, knocking down three of the show's main characters with a stick. Akinnuoye-Agbaje was given the stick and told to "Knock those three guys out". Akinnuoye-Agbaje felt that "there's no better way to make an entrance".
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
and the 28th episode overall. The episode was directed by Jack Bender
Jack Bender
Jack Bender is an American television and film director, actor, television producer and also a screenwriter. Bender was an executive producer and lead director on the ABC television series, Lost. He directed the series finale of Lost. Bender has also directed on other popular shows such as The...
, and written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Javier "Javi" Grillo-Marxuach , born October 28, 1969 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a television screenwriter and producer, known for his work as writer and producer on the first two seasons of the ABC television series Lost, as well as other series including Charmed and Law and Order: Special...
and Craig Wright
Craig Wright (playwright)
Craig Wright is an American playwright and Emmy-nominated television writer.-Biography:Born in 1965 in Puerto Rico, Wright attended St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota and went on to earn a Masters of Divinity degree from the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities...
. It first aired on October 5, 2005 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
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 :...
), John Locke
John Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
(Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
) and 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:...
) learn about the mysterious hatch from Desmond Hume
Desmond Hume
Desmond David Hume is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick. Desmond's name is a tribute to David Hume, the famous empiricist author and philosopher. Desmond was not a passenger of Flight 815. He had been stranded on the island three years prior to...
(Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
). On the other side of the island, Michael Dawson
Michael Dawson (Lost)
Michael Dawson is a fictional character played by Harold Perrineau on the ABC television series Lost. After losing a custody battle with Susan Lloyd , Michael does not see his son Walt for almost ten years. They reunite when she dies, but on their journey home, their plane crashes on a mysterious...
(Harold Perrineau), James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
) and 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) are imprisoned by people they believe to be the "Others."
Flashbacks
Locke is participating in a support group, where he emotionally recounts the deception perpetrated by his father. Afterwards, a group member, Helen Norwood (Katey SagalKatey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
), approaches him in sympathy, and they become romantically involved. After spending the night together, Helen wakes up to find Locke getting dressed, claiming he is uncomfortable sleeping in an unfamiliar bed. He goes out to sit in his car outside his father's (Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe is an American character actor primarily known for his roles on television. Tighe is best known for his role as Roy DeSoto, a senior paramedic, on the NBC series Emergency! . He and Randolph Mantooth, his partner in the series, have remained close friends...
) estate. His father confronts him, saying he knows that Locke has been stalking him, and tells him that he's not wanted.
To celebrate six months together, Helen gives Locke a present: her house key, under the condition that he stop going to his father's house. Locke agrees, but is unable to keep his word. Helen eventually follows and confronts him. She says he is afraid of moving past what his father has done, and of moving forward with her. She tells him it is meant to be difficult, because what she is asking from him is a leap of faith.
In the Hatch
At the underground compound, the confrontation between Jack, Desmond and Locke provides enough of a distraction for Kate to knock Desmond down. However, he gets off a shot, which damages the computer. Desmond claims that everyone will die unless the computer is fixed. Kate heads off to fetch Sayid via an alternate exit.Desmond explains that three years earlier, his boat crashed on the island. He then met a man who enlisted his help in his sole duty: entering a code into the computer every 108 minutes. Desmond claims that "the end of the world" will come if the button is not pressed.
He directs Jack and Locke to watch a short film narrated by a scientist called Dr. Marvin Candle (François Chau
François Chau
François Chau is a Cambodian-American actor. He is known for his role as Dr. Pierre Chang in ABC's Lost, and as The Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze....
). This film describes a project called the DHARMA Initiative
DHARMA Initiative
The Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA , was a fictional research project featured in the television series Lost. It was introduced in the second season episode "Orientation". In 2008, the Dharma Initiative website was launched. Dharma's interests were directly connected with fringe science...
, states the name and rough purpose of the hatch as an electromagnetic
Electromagnetic
Electromagnetic may refer to:* Electromagnetism* Electromagnetic field* Electromagnetic force* Electromagnetic radiation* Electromagnetic induction* Electromagnetic spectrum...
research station called "The Swan", and explains that the viewers must enter a code into the computer every 108 minutes. Jack believes that all this is just a social experiment, but Locke feels the film should be taken at its word. Desmond attempts to power up the computer, without success. He panics and leaves.
Jack runs after Desmond in the woods. Desmond recognizes him as a man who he met in a stadium, and asks what happened to the girl Jack was operating on. Jack, upset, answers that he married her - but he's not married anymore. Desmond leaves, and Jack returns to the compound.
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...
(Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) successfully repairs the computer. Locke tells Jack he should be the one to hit the button, but Jack refuses. As the alarms sound, Locke asks Jack why it is so hard to believe, and Jack asks Locke why he finds it so easy. Locke tells him it was never easy, but that Jack needs to make a leap of faith of his own. With one second to spare, Jack presses the button. The clock resets.
Across the Island
On the beach, Michael and Sawyer discover Jin, being chased by five people whom Jin identifies as the Others. The three are knocked unconscious and thrown into a pit. Another prisoner (Michelle RodriguezMichelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
) is later dropped into the pit. She introduces herself as Ana Lucia Cortez
Ana Lucia Cortez
Ana Lucia Cortez is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Michelle Rodriguez. Ana Lucia made her first appearance as a guest star in the first season finale, and became part of the main cast for season two. After Oceanic Flight 815 splits in mid-air, the tail section...
, another survivor of Oceanic Flight 815. Ana Lucia was in the tail section, which crashed on the opposite side of the island from the fuselage. Sawyer tells her that he plans to shoot the guard the next time he appears. Ana Lucia suddenly grabs Sawyer's gun and calls for the guard
Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko Tunde is a fictional character, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the ABC television series Lost. He is introduced in the second season episode "Adrift" as one of the plane-crash survivors from the plane's tail section. Flashbacks reveal that he became the leader of a gang of guerrillas...
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
); she was simply a plant.
Production
The writing team was afraid that the hatch scenes would be heavy on expositionExposition (literary technique)
At the beginning of a narrative, the exposition is the author's providing of some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme. Exposition is considered one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration...
and drag on. The solution they found was shooting the computer, which would create a crisis and tension as the device needed to be repaired in eight minutes, and also allow for new information to be given "on the fly".
This episode marks the first appearance of series regular Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko Tunde is a fictional character, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the ABC television series Lost. He is introduced in the second season episode "Adrift" as one of the plane-crash survivors from the plane's tail section. Flashbacks reveal that he became the leader of a gang of guerrillas...
, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
, where he was only shown briefly, knocking down three of the show's main characters with a stick. Akinnuoye-Agbaje was given the stick and told to "Knock those three guys out". Akinnuoye-Agbaje felt that "there's no better way to make an entrance".