A Tale of Two Cities (Lost)
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| Lost episode | |
|---|---|
| “A Tale of Two Cities” | |
 Flight 815 as it crumbles out of the sky. |
|
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 1 |
| Guest star(s) | John Terry (Christian Shephard), Julie Bowen (Sarah), M. C. Gainey (Tom), William Mapother (Ethan), Brett Cullen (Goodwin), Blake Bashoff (Karl), Julie Adams (Amelia), Stephen Semel (Adam), Isabelle Cherwin (little girl), Alexandra Morgan (moderator), Sonya Seng (receptionist), Sally Davis (teacher), Julie Ow (nurse) |
| Writer(s) | Story by Damon Lindelof, Teleplay by J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof |
| Director | Jack Bender |
| Production no. | 301 |
| Original airdate | October 4, 2006 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Live Together, Die Alone" | "The Glass Ballerina" |
"A Tale of Two Cities" is the season premiere of the third season of Lost. It aired on October 4, 2006 on US television, making it the 48th episode of the series. The episode was written by J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, based on a story by Lindelof and directed by Jack Bender. The character of Jack Shephard is featured in the episode's flashbacks.[1]
[edit] Plot summary
Jack, Kate and Sawyer begin to discover what they are up against as prisoners of "The Others."
The episode begins with a new character, Juliet, preparing for a book club meeting in a modern suburban home, but things are going wrong. She cries as she listens to a CD recording of Petula Clark's "Downtown," and she burns her hand as she tries to grab burning muffins out of the oven, scattering them on the floor of the kitchen just as the doorbell rings. The club is in the middle of a heated discussion of Stephen King's Carrie[2], a novel about misfits, bullying and telekinesis, when they are interrupted by what sounds like an earthquake. The group leaves Juliet's house and, looking for the source of the shaking, and "Ben", previously known as "Henry Gale" to the survivors, appears along with Ethan. They all look up to watch Oceanic Flight 815 break apart in mid-air. "Ben" quickly orders Goodwin and Ethan to join the survivors, stay undercover, and provide "lists in three days." The camera zooms out to reveal that the suburb is actually on the island and is inhabited by The Others.
In his flashback, Jack is going through a divorce from his wife Sarah Shephard. He demands to know who she has been dating, but she refuses to tell him, so he spies on her and steals her cellphone. He proceeds to call every number in her phone, saying he found the phone and is trying to locate the owner. His father Christian walks into the room as Jack dials a number, and his cell phone rings, so Jack accuses him of sleeping with Sarah. Jack then follows Christian to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and attacks him. After Jack is arrested, Sarah pays his bail, and tells him Christian is no longer sober. She then leaves with an unidentified man, after telling Jack that he can fix his relationship with his father.
Back in the present, Jack wakes up in a cell in the Hydra Station, where Juliet gently interrogates him. At one point Jack attacks her and attempts to escape. He runs down the hall and is about to open a door when Ben appears and tells him they will all die if he opens it. Jack doesn't believe him, and when he opens the door, water starts rushing into the hallway and we find out the Hydra station is actually underwater. Ben runs away and shuts the door in Juliet's face, leaving her with Jack as the water continues rushing in. Juliet helps Jack struggle to safety, after which she knocks him unconscious. When he later awakes, she shows Jack a file which she says contains documents about his entire life, including his divorce and his father's autopsy report.
Kate wakes up on the floor of a locker room. Tom tells her to shower and wear a dress, after which she is led to an elegant breakfast on the beach with Ben, who tells her to put on handcuffs before she can eat. She asks him why he is doing this, and he tells her that he wanted to give her something pleasant to remember, as the next two weeks will be "very unpleasant."
Sawyer wakes up in a cage in the jungle near the Hydra station. A teenager, Karl, in a nearby cage initially ignores Sawyer but then later expresses interest in Sawyer's camp and helps him escape. However, they are both caught, and Tom makes Karl, who is now beat up and bloody, apologize to Sawyer before taking the teen away. Sawyer figures out the mechanical puzzle in his cage, receiving a fish biscuit, a pile of peanuts and water, though Tom says it "only took the bears two hours." Kate is then put in Karl’s cage, and Sawyer tosses her the biscuit. As Kate eats the fish biscuit we see that she has deep red marks on her wrists from the handcuffs. These marks have appeared since her breakfast with Ben.
[edit] Trivia
- This is the first episode that J.J. Abrams has been directly involved in since the show's first season.
- Locke gives Ben (as the fictitious Henry Gale) a copy of the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel The Brothers Karamazov to read, prompting Ben to ask Locke if he has any Stephen King instead, in Maternity Leave (Season 2). Chronologically, this event follows the reading of King's "Carrie" in the Others' book club.
- The CD that Juliet is listening to is not in its original case. It is in the case for the Talking Heads album, Speaking In Tongues.
- Charles Dickens has been mentioned in the show many times, especially by Desmond, a particular devotee of his work. The name of this episode comes from Dickens's novel, A Tale Of Two Cities.
- When this episode aired in the UK, two days before on Children in Need was when Emma Bunton officially released her covered version of Downtown. (she actually released it about a week before but promotoed it on Children in Need when she performed it live.)
[edit] References
- ^ TV Guide, October 2-8, 2006, Vol. 54 No. 40, p. 24
- ^ Screenshot composite linked from the Fuselage on October 4, 2006
| Lost | |
|---|---|
| Production: | DVD releases • Episode list • Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Soundtrack |
| Main characters: | Ana Lucia • Ben • Boone • Charlie • Claire • Desmond • Hurley • Jack • Jin • Juliet • Kate Libby • Locke • Michael • Mr. Eko • Nikki • Paulo • Sawyer • Sayid • Shannon • Sun • Walt |
| Supporting characters: | Bernard • Rose • The Others |
| Organizations: | DHARMA Initiative • Hanso Foundation • Oceanic Airlines |
| Elements: | Crossovers • DHARMA Initiative stations • Flight 815 • Mythology • Thematic motifs |
| Miscellaneous: | Gary Troup • In popular culture • Lost Experience • Rachel Blake • Video game |
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| A Tale of Two Cities • The Glass Ballerina • Further Instructions Every Man for Himself • The Cost of Living • I Do • Not in Portland |
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