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The Lie (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"The Lie" is the second episode of the fifth season
of ABC
's science fiction drama television series Lost
. The 88th episode of the show overall, "The Lie" aired on January 21, 2009 on ABC in the United States, being simulcast
on A in Canada. It aired immediately after the previous episode, "Because You Left
" and a clip-show that recapped the first four seasons. "The Lie" was written by Edward Kitsis
and Adam Horowitz, who were named executive producers prior to the start of production on season five; and directed by executive producer Jack Bender
.
In 2007, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes has trouble concealing the lie of the Oceanic 6. Kate Austen
meets Sun-Hwa Kwon. At the island, the survivors come under attack by a large unseen force. The episode received mainly positive reviews from critics, with IGN
giving the episode 7.8 out of 10, and The AV Club awarded it a B+.
) and Juliet Burke
(Elizabeth Mitchell
) are separated from the group. Lost in the jungle, they are captured by a group of armed military men who demand to know who they are, asserting that the island is theirs. The men are about to cut off Juliet's hand to extract information, when John Locke
(Terry O'Quinn
) ambushes them, helping Sawyer and Juliet free themselves.
In 2007, following the events of "Because You Left
", Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
) and Ben Linus (Michael Emerson
) part ways, with Ben taking Locke's body to a butcher for safekeeping. Ben tells Jack to collect any personal items he really wants and meet up with him in six hours. Meanwhile, Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
) and Aaron Littleton, her adoptive son, have fled their home to escape lawyers demanding a maternity test. They meet up with Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) at a hotel, who implies that Kate should take whatever measures are necessary to protect Aaron. Sun forgives Kate for leaving her husband, Jin-Soo Kwon
(Daniel Dae Kim), on the freighter when it exploded (as seen in "There's No Place Like Home
").
Meanwhile, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia
) and Sayid Jarrah
(Naveen Andrews
) are on the run after they are attacked at their safehouse; Hurley drives the unconscious Sayid, who has been hit by two drugged darts, to his parents' house. On the way, Hurley is pulled over by deceased Oceanic Flight 815 survivor and former police officer Ana Lucia Cortez
(Michelle Rodriguez
), who gives him advice on how to avoid the real cops. Upon arriving home, Hurley's dad, David, covers for them when the police show up and suggests that Hurley take Sayid to the hospital. Hurley refuses, and David ends up taking Sayid to Jack, who is successful in reviving him. At home, Hurley confesses to his mother Carmen that the Oceanic Six have been lying; she believes him, though doesn't understand his disjointed story. Later, Ben unexpectedly shows up at the house and tries to convince Hurley to go with him to meet up with the rest of the Oceanic Six, saying they all want the same thing—to go back to the island. Hurley wavers for a moment, then runs outside and turns himself in to police watching the house, having been advised by Sayid to do the opposite of whatever Ben asks. Later, Ben visits Ms. Hawking, who tells him she has found the island and that Ben only has seventy hours to return with the Oceanic Six.
and Adam Horowitz, who were named executive producers prior to the start of production on season five; and directed by executive producer Jack Bender
.
When handing out scripts for the attack on the beach, Bender told the crew he and others "wanted this to be really big and really dramatic". They used arrows on wires to simulate hitting the fleeing victims, which included Neil Frogurt (Sean Whalen
). A stunt double, Kim Koscki, was hired for the scene to stand in for Whalen; he applied anti-burn cream over his face and body for protection, and crew members waited nearby to quickly extinguish the flames once a scene was finished shooting. Due to the abundance of wires, the actors had to be careful when running, or risk tripping over them.
"The Lie" features the first appearance of main cast member Michelle Rodriguez
since the second season episode "?
". Rodriguez's character, Ana Lucia Cortez
, was written to have a one season arc and was subsequently killed off at the end of the second season of Lost. Dressed as a police officer, Ana Lucia's "ghost" appears in "The Lie", telling Hurley to "stay away from the cops". The scene makes use of Cheap Trick
's song "Dream Police
".
stated that "[t]he first hour is the stronger of the two", and that the "showstopper [is] one of Lost' s most electric and intense action scenes ever." "The Lie" aired on January 21, 2009 on ABC in the United States, being simulcast
on A in Canada. "The Lie", as well as the previous episode, "Because You Left" was viewed by 11.347 million in the US, and by 1.195 million in the UK. In Australia
, the episode was aired separately to "Because You Left" and brought in 516,000 viewers.
IGN
gave the episode a "Good" rating of 7.8 out of 10 and summarized the episode as being "a much more focused story than 'Because You Left
' but in the shadow of the season premiere's revelations and grandeur it is ultimately the weaker of the two. The comedic moments that string together Hurley's journey only go so far and the rest feels a bit too much like filler... If the conclusion of 'The Lie' is any indication though, the outside world may prove to be just as strange as the island." IGN later ranked "The Lie" 84th out of the 115 Lost episodes, writing "this isn't a terrible episode, but it feels like a bit of a stop-gap, in the midst of a very cool run of episodes. On the Island, we do get to see a pretty cool looking Flaming Arrow attack, that kills the uber-annoying Frogurt, but the encounter the group has at the end with some men dressed as soldiers is just set up for the awesome "Jughead."
On a similar list, the Los Angeles Times
ranked it at number 69, explaining "this isn't a bad episode. Like most Hurley episodes, it features a lot of very sweet, funny material. But it is a bit of a time killer between two really fantastic hours." The AV Club gave the episode a B+ rating and stated that "it's enough for me. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get Lost again."
Lost (season 5)
The fifth season of the American serial drama television series Lost commenced airing on the ABC network in the United States and on A in Canada in January 2009, and concluded with a two-hour season finale on May 13, 2009...
of 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...
's science fiction 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...
. The 88th episode of the show overall, "The Lie" aired on January 21, 2009 on ABC in the United States, being simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on A in Canada. It aired immediately after the previous episode, "Because You Left
Because You Left
"Because You Left" is the television season premiere of the American Broadcasting Company's fifth season of the serial drama television series Lost. The episode is the 87th episode of the show overall, and was written by executive producers/show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed...
" and a clip-show that recapped the first four seasons. "The Lie" was written by Edward Kitsis
Edward Kitsis
Edward Lawrence Kitsis, also sometimes credited as Eddy Kitsis, is an American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on the popular American television series, Lost and Once Upon a Time.-Life and career:...
and Adam Horowitz, who were named executive producers prior to the start of production on season five; and directed by executive producer 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...
.
In 2007, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes has trouble concealing the lie of the Oceanic 6. 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...
meets Sun-Hwa Kwon. At the island, the survivors come under attack by a large unseen force. The episode received mainly positive reviews from critics, with 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...
giving the episode 7.8 out of 10, and The AV Club awarded it a B+.
Plot
On the island, the remaining survivors are back in the past, attempting to start a fire, when they are attacked by a barrage of flaming arrows. Some of the survivors are able to escape, but Neil "Frogurt" and a few others are killed, and James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh HollowayJosh 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 Juliet Burke
Juliet Burke
Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Elizabeth Mitchell. Her character was introduced in the third season premiere.- Prior to arrival on the island :...
(Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell , is an American actress/modelwho is known for her roles as Dr. Juliet Burke on ABC's TV series Lost and as FBI agent Erica Evans on V. She has starred in such films as The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and Gia.-Early life:Mitchell was born Elizabeth...
) are separated from the group. Lost in the jungle, they are captured by a group of armed military men who demand to know who they are, asserting that the island is theirs. The men are about to cut off Juliet's hand to extract information, when 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,...
) ambushes them, helping Sawyer and Juliet free themselves.
In 2007, following the events of "Because You Left
Because You Left
"Because You Left" is the television season premiere of the American Broadcasting Company's fifth season of the serial drama television series Lost. The episode is the 87th episode of the show overall, and was written by executive producers/show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed...
", 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 :...
) and Ben Linus (Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost and fictional serial killer William Hinks in The Practice.-Early life:...
) part ways, with Ben taking Locke's body to a butcher for safekeeping. Ben tells Jack to collect any personal items he really wants and meet up with him in six hours. Meanwhile, 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:...
) and Aaron Littleton, her adoptive son, have fled their home to escape lawyers demanding a maternity test. They meet up with Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) at a hotel, who implies that Kate should take whatever measures are necessary to protect Aaron. Sun forgives Kate for leaving her husband, 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), on the freighter when it exploded (as seen in "There's No Place Like Home
There's No Place Like Home
"There's No Place Like Home, Parts 1, 2 & 3" is the season finale of the American Broadcasting Company's fourth season of the serial drama television series Lost, consisting of the 12th through 14th episodes. They are also the 84th through 86th episodes of the show overall...
").
Meanwhile, 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...
) and 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:...
) are on the run after they are attacked at their safehouse; Hurley drives the unconscious Sayid, who has been hit by two drugged darts, to his parents' house. On the way, Hurley is pulled over by deceased Oceanic Flight 815 survivor and former police officer 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...
(Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle 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,...
), who gives him advice on how to avoid the real cops. Upon arriving home, Hurley's dad, David, covers for them when the police show up and suggests that Hurley take Sayid to the hospital. Hurley refuses, and David ends up taking Sayid to Jack, who is successful in reviving him. At home, Hurley confesses to his mother Carmen that the Oceanic Six have been lying; she believes him, though doesn't understand his disjointed story. Later, Ben unexpectedly shows up at the house and tries to convince Hurley to go with him to meet up with the rest of the Oceanic Six, saying they all want the same thing—to go back to the island. Hurley wavers for a moment, then runs outside and turns himself in to police watching the house, having been advised by Sayid to do the opposite of whatever Ben asks. Later, Ben visits Ms. Hawking, who tells him she has found the island and that Ben only has seventy hours to return with the Oceanic Six.
Production
"The Lie" was written by Edward KitsisEdward Kitsis
Edward Lawrence Kitsis, also sometimes credited as Eddy Kitsis, is an American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on the popular American television series, Lost and Once Upon a Time.-Life and career:...
and Adam Horowitz, who were named executive producers prior to the start of production on season five; and directed by executive producer 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...
.
When handing out scripts for the attack on the beach, Bender told the crew he and others "wanted this to be really big and really dramatic". They used arrows on wires to simulate hitting the fleeing victims, which included Neil Frogurt (Sean Whalen
Sean Whalen
Sean M. Whalen is an American film, television, and stage actor.Whalen was born in Washington D.C. in 1964, the youngest of four children, he was raised in Silver Spring/Olney, Maryland. He attended Sherwood High School and graduated from UCLA. He worked as a waiter while studying and performing...
). A stunt double, Kim Koscki, was hired for the scene to stand in for Whalen; he applied anti-burn cream over his face and body for protection, and crew members waited nearby to quickly extinguish the flames once a scene was finished shooting. Due to the abundance of wires, the actors had to be careful when running, or risk tripping over them.
"The Lie" features the first appearance of main cast member Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle 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,...
since the second season episode "?
? (Lost)
"?", typically pronounced "Question Mark" is the 46th episode of Lost and the 21st episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Deran Sarafian, and written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. It first aired on May 10, 2006 on ABC. The character of Mr. Eko is featured in the episode's...
". Rodriguez's character, 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...
, was written to have a one season arc and was subsequently killed off at the end of the second season of Lost. Dressed as a police officer, Ana Lucia's "ghost" appears in "The Lie", telling Hurley to "stay away from the cops". The scene makes use of Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
's song "Dream Police
Dream Police (song)
"Dream Police" is the title of a song written by Rick Nielsen and originally released in 1979 by the American rock band Cheap Trick. It was the opening track of Cheap Trick's album Dream Police. The single peaked #26 on the US single chart...
".
Reception
"Because You Left" and "The Lie" were uploaded to ABC's Medianet website on December 29, 2008 to be viewed by members of the press for advance reviews attached to limited confidentiality agreements. Matt Mitovich of TV GuideTV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
stated that "[t]he first hour is the stronger of the two", and that the "showstopper [is] one of Lost
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on A in Canada. "The Lie", as well as the previous episode, "Because You Left" was viewed by 11.347 million in the US, and by 1.195 million in the UK. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the episode was aired separately to "Because You Left" and brought in 516,000 viewers.
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 "Good" rating of 7.8 out of 10 and summarized the episode as being "a much more focused story than 'Because You Left
Because You Left
"Because You Left" is the television season premiere of the American Broadcasting Company's fifth season of the serial drama television series Lost. The episode is the 87th episode of the show overall, and was written by executive producers/show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed...
' but in the shadow of the season premiere's revelations and grandeur it is ultimately the weaker of the two. The comedic moments that string together Hurley's journey only go so far and the rest feels a bit too much like filler... If the conclusion of 'The Lie' is any indication though, the outside world may prove to be just as strange as the island." IGN later ranked "The Lie" 84th out of the 115 Lost episodes, writing "this isn't a terrible episode, but it feels like a bit of a stop-gap, in the midst of a very cool run of episodes. On the Island, we do get to see a pretty cool looking Flaming Arrow attack, that kills the uber-annoying Frogurt, but the encounter the group has at the end with some men dressed as soldiers is just set up for the awesome "Jughead."
On a similar list, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
ranked it at number 69, explaining "this isn't a bad episode. Like most Hurley episodes, it features a lot of very sweet, funny material. But it is a bit of a time killer between two really fantastic hours." The AV Club gave the episode a B+ rating and stated that "it's enough for me. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get Lost again."